4:08 AM
Auto Car Design and Review
In a city studded with strip clubs, this iQ also gets naked, with the paint scrubbed off its sheetmetal and its plastic front and rear fascias painted for a bare-metal look. Perhaps as an homage to Toyota’s old budget runabout, the MR-2, or perhaps as a nod to its only direct competitor, the Smart Fortwo, the naked iQ’s engine has been transplanted to where you’d normally find the rear seats. (Because, you know, this 10-foot-long car would normally accommodate four passengers.)
To help it settle into its new home, the engine gets a rebuild complete with JE pistons, a new cam, and an AEM engine-management system. The passenger seat, as well as the rest of the interior, has been stripped out to ensure maximum resonance. OK, Scion, you got us: All it took was an engine relocation and a roll cage that looks sturdy enough to tumble down Everest, but this is an iQ we want to drive.
