You can tell a lot about people just by the way they fill out their spec sheets. Usually, the typical guy or girl will simply fill in the blanks, as if it were a test. Each and every response is a complete sentence and answers are completely straight edged. When feature car owners are asked, "What did you learn from building the vehicle?" most reply with an enthusiastic "That it takes a lot of time, money, and dedication to build the right car for me." That's swell, but when someone answers with "You get a headache if you sniff the glue you're using," well, then suddenly you have a real comedian on your hands. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the main stage: Jaed Arzadon.
Jaed's a close personal friend of the Super Street staff, not to mention one of the chief PR reps for Pioneer's Mobile Entertainment division. What that means is that he's the one you send your proposals to, and don't forget, bribes (in the form of comic books or Big Macs) never hurt. Even though Jaed's responsible for getting some of the freshest audio gear out of Pioneer's catalogs and into your cars, he's also one serious car enthusiast. With one project completed (check "Commotion Explosion," July '00), the next venture is this '98 Lexus GS 300, a year-long project that's been "nothing but headaches, nausea, and the occasional rash," according to Jaed. His reason for doing it? "I can't leave anything alone." So what's it got? Well, since Jaed works for Pioneer, you can guess that the audio system was done entirely with Pioneer product, including the Premier CD player, equalizer, amps, navigation unit, DVD player/monitor unit, and plenty of house speakers to go around. Each headrest houses a 7-inch widescreen monitor and one in the rear trunk compartment as well.
Besides the audio, there are a few add-ons to both the engine and the body of the GS. The classic form is maintained with a subtle Rod Millen body kit and rear wing, while the space between the wheelwells and tires were minimized by H&R coilovers, Bilstein struts, and 20x8.5 and 20x10 Zauber Gettin wheels. An HKS exhaust is used to rev on unsuspecting girls and punk-ass kids while cruising down the 605 freeway, and further handling improvements are achieved with Daizen sway and strut bars. Jaed assures us that all of these modifications are worth it--otherwise the Tylenol, vodka, root beer, and baby powder wouldn't have made any sense. Say what? Nevermind, we don't really want to know.