SP Rides: The Nightstalker
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Ruben Torres
Age: 30
Occupation: U.S. Army
Hobbies: Cars, outdoors, blogging
Year, Make, Model: 2013 Scion FR-S
Color: Avery Dennison Gloss Grey
Engine: HKS Supercharger GT V-3, Tomei unequal length headers, Invidia N1 exhaust system, HKS FA20 2.1L Stroker Kit, HKS Super Fire Racing spark plugs, AEM front tower strut bar
Exterior: Full car vinyl wrap (CWS carbon fiber), Seibon TS carbon fiber hood, Victory Function FRP fenders, TRD front fender aero fin, NIA side skirt, APR Performance front splitter, Spyder headlights, JDM three-piece trunk spoiler wing
Interior: Bride Bucket Seat Zeta III, NRG harness bar (powder coated red), red Cipher harness, black NRG Suede Sport steering wheel, red NRG quick release 2.0, red Raceseng shift knobs, CWS vinyl wrap carbon fiber interior trim
Wheels, Tires: Rays Gram Light 57CR (18-by-9.5 + 38) tires, Nexen Nfera SU1 (245 / 40 / 18)
While sixteen, growing up in New Jersey, Ruben Torres led a truly fast and furious life. His first ride was an AWD 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, self-bought and built for performance. Perhaps a little too much performance as within a month of owning it, Torres found himself with 10 days of juvenile detention, 60 days house arrest and community service, and a year of probation for eluding police and endangering the public. Ouch. Torres paid the piper, sold the Eclipse, and learned a valuable long-term life lesson.
A year later, once he had his license back, Torres enjoyed various rides while stationed at his first duty station here in 2007 that included a ’91 Integra, ‘06 Cobalt SS as well as an ’09 RX8. Things were looking pretty good until he was hit by a drunk driver, which resulted in a broken leg and a hospital stay. Heck, the dent is still visible in the guardrail on the H-1 freeway.
Sadly, Torres’ luck with rides soured him for a few years. He bought a Tundra, received PCS relocation orders to Virginia and started over. Fast-forward a few years, the truck was sold, Torres was back in Hawaii, and a slightly used 2013 Scion FR-S was resting nicely between his palms. As the old adage goes, “Once it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood.”
This ride is called the Nightstalker. It’s built to have a bit of character because for Torres, naming his car brings it to life. However, this baby came in the OEM Lava Red, which didn’t fit the theme. It was immediately wrapped in Avery Dennison Gloss Grey and accented with CWS carbon fiber resulting in a much stealthier look.
Body accents are light but leave an immediate impression and include some very sexy Victory Function FRP front fenders, Seibon TS CF hood, a set of TRD Aero Fins, and NIA side skirts. The side skirts are matched an APR Performance front splitter, as well as a very low-key yet sick JDM three-peice trunk spoiler wing.
Stalking the night requires power and that’s when Torres turned to HKS for a sweet GT V-3 Supercharger setup mated to forged internals thanks to the FA20 2.1L Stroker Kit. Combined with some sweet bolt-ons, this car can prowl the streets in a very capable fashion.
The rolling stock are Rays Gram Light 57CR are set in 18-by-9.5 with a +38 offset and wrapped in Nexen Nfera SU1 tires. Torres braves the streets with a static coil-over setup, but stays fairly planted thanks to the interior modifications which include Bride Zeta III seats, NRG harness bar, and Cipher harness. He stays in control with a sumptuous NRG wheel/quick release combo and an anodized red Raceseng shift knob.
Although he prefers to ride at night, Torres isn’t about street racing — he learned his lesson a long time ago. However, he’s more than happy to be humbled and be a role model for the younger set. He lives his life to the fullest like it’s the last day, every day.
