Soon after Fernandez and a few friends decided to delve into the most dangerous end of the pool, small business. Catering directly to the VIP crowd, Autofashion was a successful operation. Through the shop, enough contacts and determination were formed to allow Fernandez to finish the xA the way he wanted.
Bothered by the fact that most people at shows give the xB more love and attention, Fernandez transformed his xA. A full body kit from Fabulous was shipped over from Japan, painted the stock phantom gray pearl by SDCS and covered in a clear bra from Clear Statement. The graphics are by Award Master, while the requisite The Fast and the Furious under-body lighting is by Varad Lighting. Fernandez also purchased Fabulous fog lights from Japan, along with JDM window visors, an Ist grille, chrome grille garnish and chrome trunk handle.
With the body now up to snuff, the rubbing Racing Harts were ditched in favor of something more fitting to the Fabulous kit. Custom one-off Work Euroline FS wheels, 19x8.5-inch fronts and impressive 19x9.5-inch rears, were made and delivered to Fernandez. These were covered in Falken Tire rubber. Custom camber bolts and shims were also made by Autofashion to fit the Work wheels under the fenders with no body modifications or cuts required.
Ripping out those suspicious lowering springs and launching them into the San Diego, Calif., harbor, Fernandez dropped his Scion with some real JDM VIP equipment. An Air Runner air bag suspension system was installed; it's currently the only U.S. Scion rocking the Air Runner setup. Progress anti-sway bars and a Hotchkis tower bar were also added to beef up the suspension. The xA isn't a racecar, but it still needs to have some street capability.
An upgraded suspension is also a good idea because Fernandez will need all the help he can get on the road. This xA is stuffed to the headliner with interior upgrades. From the custom-wrapped interior to the custom black-marble accents, the interior screams show car. Dumping the stock radio, Fernandez went all out for the audio/visual setup. More comprehensive than just a flip-out LCD stereo, the NtriGo in-car computer system allows the passengers to access wireless Internet, GPS tracking, XM satellite radio, MP3 playback, as well as DVD videos. Say goodbye to just AM and FM.
The backseats have been completely devoid of passengers for a while now, instead electing to swallow two 12-inch subwoofers, and two- and four-channel amplifier in custom enclosures, all sourced from ARC Audio. Juicing off of those amps are no less than six ARC Audio speakers installed throughout the xA, pumping out the gunshots and tire screeches from the rear-mounted PlayStation 2. An 8-inch touchscreen LCD was custom mounted in the dash. But the crowning achievement in drawing double takes at shows is the custom-mounted 30-inch motorized LCD screen in the rear. That's a bigger LCD TV than some of us can even dream of owning.
When you're rolling around with hundreds of extra pounds in stereo equipment, more horsepower couldn't hurt. Fernandez's xA rocks a very unsneaky 50-shot NOS single-fogger nitrous kit with a Sneeky Pete bottle mounted under hood. When you're only packing 108 hp, a 50-shot feels like Godzilla kicked you in the nuts. Tapped into a prototype Injen cold-air intake system, the nitrous feeds a hungry motor breathing out of a ported and polished cylinder head with a Strup Performance header and Invidia exhaust. A B&M transmission cooler keeps the automatic from melting under nitrous-induced fun, while various Injen dress-up bits, a Perrin hose kit, custom Pi-Thon Design covers, and Sun Auto Hyper Ground and Hyper Voltage kits spruce up the engine bay.
With a 2001 Lexus LS 430 and a Toyota Crown as their next projects, Fernandez and Autofashion have their work cut out for them if they want to remain the purveyors of VIP fashion. Will the next cars feature fat lips, high-end style and Yakuza-inspired tricks? That would be gangster.