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  • Drew Dowdell
    Drew Dowdell

    By Drew Dowdell •

    Kia Builds One-Off Stinger GT420 Track Car

      ...Saved from the crusher to ride again...

    The first Kia Stinger in the UK, a homologation test car, was saved from the crusher.  As a pre-production car, it couldn't be sold to the public.  As it sat in Kia's headquarters showroom, the Product and Press relations team were scheming up ways to keep the HiChroma Red GT S.  After all, during its testing, it has racked up 10,000 miles, an unusually high amount for a test mule. 

    Instead of being sent to the crusher, Kia brought in an engineering team from Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany. The team upgraded the Twin Turbo V6 from 365 hp to 422 hp and peak torque from 376 lb-ft to 413 lb-ft.  They replaced the exhaust with a lightweight Milltek Sport exhaust with cats removed. An upgraded transmission cooler was added. and the transmission was recalibrated for quicker shifting in Sport and Sport+ mode. The team then "Added lightness" to the car by removal of all unneeded weight. Interior trim, airbags, engine cover, rear bumper beam were all removed. The rear windows were glued in place and lightweight door cards added.  After the needed safety equipment and underbody stiffening were installed, the net weight reduction came to about 331 lbs off the stock car. 

    Once the mechanical modifications were complete, the  team added a Stillen front splitter and a rear spoiler, and a body wrap that advertises the racing specs and the GT420 name. 

    There are no plans to build such a car from Kia, but it is an interesting study of what can be done with a car that is otherwise headed to the crusher. 

     

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    G. David Felt
    14 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

    I was kinda hoping Kia would bring it over here for us journalists to try, but it is right-hand drive. ? 

    Having driven in Japan, it is really not that hard to drive a left or right-hand auto.

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    Drew Dowdell
    Just now, dfelt said:

    Having driven in Japan, it is really not that hard to drive a left or right-hand auto.

    Oh I wasn't worried about that... it would have to be track only anyway.  It's just that I doubt they'd bring it here for that reason. 

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    ccap41
    20 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

    I was kinda hoping Kia would bring it over here for us journalists to try, but it is right-hand drive. ? 

    Have you ever driven anything right-hand drive? 

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    ccap41
    20 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

    No

    We had some hacked up consumer vehicles turned into mail carriers come into the shop I worked at and I only drove them around the parking lot(for the final QC for torquing the lugnuts) and it's weird as hell. I'm sure it doesn't take long to get used to but it is such an odd feeling being on the "wrong" side of the vehicle. 

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    Drew Dowdell
    1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

    We had some hacked up consumer vehicles turned into mail carriers come into the shop I worked at and I only drove them around the parking lot(for the final QC for torquing the lugnuts) and it's weird as hell. I'm sure it doesn't take long to get used to but it is such an odd feeling being on the "wrong" side of the vehicle. 

    Yeah, I figure it would take a couple of laps on the track at slow speed to get used to it and then I could kick it up a notch. 

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    frogger

    Never had to do the manual RHD thing, but I recall doing the car "hire" in Barbados, was always turning on the wipers by accident when trying to signal.. Eventually I just stopped signalling most of them didn't signal down their anyways.  Was kind of fun, but the narrow roads and lack of lighting led me to stick to driving while the sun was up after the first night out.  Would love to visit again soon.

     

     

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