Kia UK has put together a Stinger GT420 track car concept to showcase the potential of the sleek sports sedan fastback. It’s been engineered in partnership with Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in Germany.
Ever since the Kia Stinger was launched back in 2017, aftermarket tuners have been all over it like a fat kid on a cake. But here Kia itself is getting creative and has come up with a comprehensive upgrade suite. It includes a boosted engine, weight reduction, and chassis and suspension work.
In the engine compartment, the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 produces 272kW and 510Nm in standard form. Kia has fit a pair of K&N sports air filters, HKS M45il spark plugs, and a lightweight Milltek Sport quad exhaust system. There changes lift the outputs up to 315kW and 560Nm.
Bolted up to the engine, the six-speed sports automatic transmission has also come in for some tuning. Kia has fit a larger transmission cooler with six bars instead of the standard four, and the software has also been recalibrated so that in Sport and Sport+ modes the unit offers quicker shifting.
Not stopping there, a number of measures have been made to reduce the Stinger’s weight. Various items have been removed, such as the factory seats and belts, airbags, sound system, most of the trim and rear window motors, and even the boot and bonnet dampers are removed. A steel panel replaces the sunroof, and the parking sensors are deleted.
After the installation of a roll rage and racing seats, the weight reduction work saved around 150kg. There’s also a special Lite Blox LiPo battery which saves an impressive 22kg. Obviously all of this would noticeably improve the car’s performance, even without the power upgrades. But with them we’d expect a nice improvement in acceleration and cornering speed.
In other areas there’s a set of OZ Racing Legerra wheels which save around 5kg per wheel, wrapped in 235/35 front and 265/30 Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. The suspension has been retuned and includes 2.5 degrees camber at the front, while the Brembo brakes are uprated and use Endless pads for fade resistance and longevity.
To top it all off, the Kia Stinger GT420 features a Stillen front spoiler and rear diffuser, with an Air Design rear spoiler providing a racer look. Lastly, an eye-catching wrap for the body has been added, with some of the factory HiChroma Red paintwork shining through.
Unfortunately, there are no plans for any sort of production for the Kia Stinger GT420 concept. However, owners can of course mimmic the upgrades or go even further with larger turbochargers and so on.