I can remember when the Scion tC was revealed to the public at the 2004 North American Auto Show.  The boxy xB  and the comparatively innocuous xA  were already out there with their four doors.  But here was a stylish coupe.  It was quite a revelation.  A low, wide three-door hatch that didn’t scream “utility” like the xB, but sort of said, “Hey, if you can’t afford a BMW 3 Series, take a look at me.”  There was the wonderful seemingly all-glass roof (there is a front-opening sunroof; the glass is fixed for the backseat passengers) that preceded the panorama roofs that are now only recently being touted on vehicles with a significantly higher price tag.  Side marker lights on the sideview mirrors on a car that wasn’t being offered by Big Brother Lexus nor by some Euro brand.  Inside, the grain and texture of the IP material was profoundly more advanced and urbane not only than that found in other cars in its class, but even those of ranks higher.  All in all, the tC was a car that really did have an appearance that was chic and sophisticated.

And while the past tense is used in that paragraph, the tC is still all those things.  But now there is a slight difference.

At a nearby gas station, there is an old E30-based (’81-’91) 3 Series parked out front.  It is modified.  Lowered.  Ground effects are added.  It is painted. . .orange.  It is a horrible car even for those who don’t care about Bavarian automobiles.  It is, however, someone’s idea of cool.  And good for that person.  I may find it to be a bizarre eyesore, but it’s not my car.  Odds are good that there are plenty of people for whom that car, well, “rocks.”

Which brings me back to the tC.

Just as exquisite customer service is an alleged characteristic of Lexus, vehicle modification is part and parcel of what it is to be Scion.  Consequently, the array of tricked-out xBs that you’ll see.  Even xAs have had their share of SEMA-style transformations.  But the tC?

Admittedly, maybe my middle age is showing, but when I first saw the tC that was to be Driven, I nearly did a spit-take with a mouthful of black coffee.  There it was, in its Blue Ribbon metallic glory.  A ground effects package.  A rear pedestal-mounted spoiler.  EMX 18-in. alloy wheels thinly wrapped by Pirelli Pzero Nero tires.  Remember what I was saying about “urbane and sophisticated”?  This wasn’t it.  What is sort of sad is that the car has a 2.4-liter, 161 hp engine and a four-speed automatic.  This is not the sort of thing that one associates with the Fast and the Furious.  Isn’t all of that sort of like a Wonderbra?

Still, Scion gets credit for all of the nice touches, touches that are not even common on vehicles that are priced significantly higher, like a keyfob with the remote lock/unlock function integrated and a chrome Scion logo on the reverse, like knobs with substance and not chintz.  Cars that are newer still have yet to catch up to that wonderful textured dash material.

But I will acknowledge that I just don’t get it.  Don’t get why someone would transform the tC to look fast.  I also don’t understand why someone would paint an old BMW orange.  And I don’t get this, at all: Scion has an art gallery space in Culver City, California. From August 2 to August 23 it is having a showing, in cooperation with Giant Robot magazine, titled “Insiders, Outsiders & The Middle,” a collection of works by artists of various media and styles.  One of them is Nao Harada.  According to the press release for the show, “Nao Harad, proprietor of the Wrecks clothing line, sketches, draws, and paints with no regard to the meaning of art.  He rides around on his BMX leaving stickers and tags around Tokyo.”

(More than) enough said.

Vehicle as Driven

Engine: 2.4-liter.  Aluminum block and head

Horsepower: 161 @ 6,000 rpm

Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 4,0 00 rpm

Transmission: Four-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 106.3 in.

Overall length: 174 in.

Height: 55.7 in.

Width: 69.1 in.

Curb weight: 2,987 lb.

EPA fuel economy: 21 city; 29 highway

MSRP (base): $17,800.  With options (ground effects, $1,083; fog lights, $437; rear spoiler, $430; LED tail light enhancement, $375; mats, $171; LED under dash/cupholder illumination, $250; XM radio kit, $449; upgraded wheels and tires, $565; sport muffler, $525; front strut brace, $245; and destination, $620): $23.950