Kia has taken the wraps off the GT4 Stinger at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The rear-drive 2+2 sports car concept is the product of Kia’s California design team, home to its 2012 predecessor, the Track’ster concept.
“Driving enjoyment was the number one priority in designing the GT4 Stinger,” said Tom Kearns, Chief Designer, Kia Design Center America (KDCA). “It’s a 2+2 sports car that can turn heads as a daily driver while also being right at home on the track. It’s about purity, simplicity and timelessness.”
Emboldened by the brand’s on-track success in the Pirelli World Challenge racing series with a pair of turbocharged, GTS-class Optimas, Kia’s U.S. design team approached the GT4 Stinger project with an eye toward weight reduction, functionality and driving enjoyment.
“If anyone were to ask if Kia has the credibility to build a car like the GT4 Stinger,” noted Kearns. “I would simply point out that Kia races – and wins – against some of the world’s most legendary performance brands.”
Kia Racing and partner Kinetic Motorsports captured the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Drivers and Team Championships in 2012 with the Forte Koup and are currently preparing the turbocharged Optimas for their third season of duty in the Pirelli World Challenge in 2014 following a second-place finish in the Manufacturer’s Championship last year.
Beneath the low wedge of the GT4 Stinger’s bonnet resides a tuned version of Kia’s 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol direct injected (T-GDI) four-cylinder engine putting out 315 horsepower. “Our Optima racecars use the same engine and can produce more than 400 horsepower,” said Kearns. “So why not infuse our concept with the kind of power that will make people take notice?”
That power is put to the ground via a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels, which are wrapped in 275/35R20 Pirelli P-Zero performance tyres. Staggered 235/35R20 Pirelli P-Zeros nestle beneath the front wings. Custom 20-inch aluminium centre-lock wheels feature carbon-fibre inserts for strength and weight reduction. Tucked inside the wheels are Brembo Gran Turismo two-piece 15-inch cross-drilled rotors and four-piston callipers.
Underpinning the GT4 Stinger’s “Ignition Yellow” body is a custom chassis with independent double wishbone suspension. With a shorter wheelbase (2,619mm) than, and an equal overall length (4,310mm) to, a cee’d hatchback, a width (1,890mm) greater than an Optima saloon, and a roofline (1,250mm) nearly nine inches (229mm) lower than a Rio hatchback, the GT4 Stinger cuts a lean figure. It tips the scales at 1,304kg, and weight distribution is spread at 52 per cent up front and 48 per cent at the rear. The GT4 Stinger also features a quick-ratio steering rack for better feedback and control.
Those familiar with Kia’s design language, set by Kia’s President and Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, will immediately recognise key styling elements of the GT4 Stinger. “We gave the car a shrink-wrapped appearance,” says Kearns. “It’s as if the body panels were formed around the chassis instead of merely welded to it.”
At the front, the latest iteration of the signature Kia grille rests low to the ground for maximum engine cooling and cold-air induction. The grille surround glows white and features a multi-layered, satin-black border, a theme found throughout the car. Flanking the grille on both sides are vertical LED headlamps, and front-brake cooling vents molded into the bumper provide a clean, smooth appearance. A carbon-fibre front splitter mounted below the bumper provides added down force at high speeds.
Continuing around the car, the transparent A-pillars provide a greater than 270-degree view from the driver’s seat. The layered slots cut into the pillars reduce weight while improving outward visibility. “It’s as if the GT4 Stinger is wearing wrap-around sunglasses,” notes Kearns. Similar to the Soul, the roof of the GT4 Stinger is designed to “float” from the C-pillars. Along the rocker panels are satin black accent pieces with integrated functional cooling ducts to enhance air flow to the rear brakes.
Around back, the body widens to cover the large 275-section Pirelli rubber. The glass hatch opens to reveal a built-in storage compartment and rear strut-tower brace. The LED taillights illuminate from inside the outer edge of a blacked-out panel just above the dual exhaust ports in the rear bumper.
The interior is without carpet, featuring only a rubber floor mat underneath the billet-aluminium pedals. Front and centre to the driver is a thick D-shaped steering wheel and red LED-illuminated instrument panel with large tachometer and gear indicator. In keeping with the track theme and taking inspiration from sports and competition cars of the past, interior door handles have been replaced by red-stitched pull straps. In fact, the GT4 Stinger makes do without the luxury of a stereo. “The audio system starts under the hood and the speakers are the exhaust pipes,” said Kearns.
While there are currently no plans to bring the concept to production, the GT4 Stinger does provide a possible glimpse into Kia’s future. When asked who the GT4 Stinger is intended for, Kearns quips, “It’s a totally selfish design. The design team at KCDA is full of petrolheads and enthusiasts, and the GT4 Stinger is the perfect car for that kind of crowd.”
Source: Kia
