·
Four
highly customized, hand-built concepts offer a glimpse into the fun and
excitement Kia Racing fans experience when spending a day at the races
·
Ballast
Point Sedona and Smitten Ice Cream Soul EV embrace the tastier side of
trackside festivities with handcrafted brews and a high-tech take on the
traditional ice cream truck
·
High-Performance
K900 and Ultimate Karting Sedona bring the thrill of the race track in
unexpected ways
·
Championship-winning
Kia Racing Optima unveiled with new paint scheme for 2015 Pirelli World
Challenge season
LAS VEGAS, November
4, 2014 – Kia Motors America (KMA)
today brought the sights and sounds of the race track to the opening day of the
2014 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. Just five years after the brand boldly
announced its intention to enter professional motorsports in the U.S. at the
2009 SEMA Show, KMA marked its second title-winning season, celebrating the
2014 Pirelli World Challenge Manufacturers Championship. Kia’s
“A Day at the Races” 2014 SEMA display commemorates Kia's racing success and
demonstrates the imprint motorsports has left on the brand’s DNA, encompassing
both the thrill of high-speed competition as well as the fun and excitement
that fans experience trackside.
“Competing – and
winning – in the Pirelli World Challenge series allows Kia to provide tangible proof of
the quality, durability, reliability and performance of the vehicles we build,”
said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, sales & marketing,
KMA. “This year’s SEMA show gives us the
opportunity to celebrate our hard-fought championships while also embracing the
fun and excitement of the fan experience in a way that only Kia could do.”
While two of the
vehicles are inspired by the festive atmosphere fans of the Kia Racing team
experience during a day at the track with family and friends, the others pay
homage to the raw performance and unique style that has permeated Kia’s five years of
U.S. racing success. And at the center
of it all is the championship-winning Optima race car, sporting a new look for
the 2015 season.
Ballast Point Sedona
One of the most
heavily modified SEMA vehicles Kia
has ever produced, the Ballast Point Sedona takes infield fun during a day at
the races very seriously. Serving the premium, handcrafted beers from Ballast
Point Brewing & Spirits, the steel roof of the Sedona has been completely
redesigned to echo the nautical theme the specialty brewer is known for.
The Ballast Point Sedona
features a hand-formed solid mahogany shell with a flip-top roof and fold-down
front bar. Removing the roof required the installation of a custom boxed-steel
frame that incorporates heavy-duty hinges and struts to allow for the wood
clam-shell top to open a full 90 degrees. While one of the Sedona’s power
sliding doors has been welded shut, the other remains fully functional to allow
access for a bartender into the open-air cabin.
The rear shell is also removable, allowing patrons to enjoy a frosty
beverage from the tailgate as well. The
passenger compartment has been gutted to make room for two functioning Micro
Matic taps, a jockey box with 120-feet of copper beer-cooling coils and up to
four half-barrel kegs of Ballast Point’s finest. The front passenger seat has been removed to
accommodate storage for extra kegs and supplies.
Hand-built and
painted by the artists at LGE-CTS Motorsports, the shimmering rainbow of colors
found on Ballast Point’s labels are rendered perfectly along the aggressive
contours of the Sedona’s body panels.
While not street legal, the Ballast Point Sedona is drivable and the
suspension has been modified with custom airbags to compensate for the added
weight of the kegs. The floor has been
lined so that the interior can be hosed out and handmade custom cabinets allow
for ample storage. Restaurant-grade
stainless steel counters and a hidden tank to store meltwater from the jockey
box make clean-up a breeze. Audio
speakers have been integrated into the wood roof so that race fans can enjoy
music through the Sedona’s Bluetooth enabled Infinity audio system.
Built in partnership
between Kia and Ballast Point,
following the SEMA show, this Sedona will serve as a fully functioning
marketing display vehicle for the San Diego-based craft brewery. When not on tour in 2015, it will be on
display at Ballast Point’s flagship restaurant and tap room in San Diego,
California.
Smitten Ice Cream Soul EV
Ice cream is always a
favorite at racetracks across the country, and few vehicles are as iconic as
the classic ice cream truck. For its
more modern take on the musical, treat-serving truck, Kia teamed with San
Francisco-based Smitten Ice Cream, matching up its high-tech zero-emissions Soul
EV with Smitten’s high-tech patented Brrr™ ice cream machine. Founded by a Stanford business school
graduate, Smitten creates world-class churned-to-order treats with all-natural
and organic ingredients using liquid nitrogen to freeze the ingredients at -321
degrees Fahrenheit, making the freshest, purist and creamiest ice cream on the
planet.
Customized by
Gallagher Designs, the Smitten Ice Cream truck and trailer has been transformed
to a modern delivery delight with a custom paint job in pearl cherry red. Detailed red and white leather upholstery and
interior paneling complement the sleek exterior. Tailor-made red smoothie wheels with baby moon
caps add a sporty/hotrod feel to this modern structure with classic lines.
To operate as a
functioning ice cream truck, a custom hemlock cab divider has been constructed
to separate the driver from the Smitten Ice Cream equipment. The side doors open to reveal a compartment
specifically designed to store dewars, the custom tanks filled with the liquid
nitrogen needed to instantly freeze Smitten’s ice cream. Shaved door handles open with an electronic
latch and LEDs have been installed to spotlight the patented Brrr™ ice cream
machine and the table work space. Silver
accents follow existing lines on the car to tie the vehicle to the trailer and
give a subtle nod to classic car culture.
The back windows of
the Soul EV are tinted black to serve as menu boards to display flavors,
farm-to-table ingredients and daily specials.
From the finished back cavity, a pull-out table has been specifically
designed to accommodate Smitten’s Brrristas™ and their “wagoneering” workflow,
which can be set in a linear or 90-degree-angle layout. Three marine speakers built into custom
aluminum “waffle” cones, a fresh take on traditional ice cream truck
loudspeakers, sit atop the Soul EV and emit a modern version of the classic
tune that ice cream trucks have been playing for decades in neighborhoods
across America. Custom school bus-type
“Stop” signs with LED lights fold out from the rear panels of the vehicle as
another small homage to old-school ice cream trucks.
The lightweight
aluminum teardrop trailer adds nostalgia to the Smitten Soul EV while providing
added storage and functionality. Both
the car and the trailer have matching cherry red exteriors, and the bottom
third of the trailer is silver, drawing from the silver accents on the
car. A hatch on the back of the trailer
allows access to a spacious storage area, and stainless steel counter tops
slide into channels on the sides of the trailer to display Smitten’s gourmet
pairings.
Kia and Smitten Ice
Cream have partnered to create a Soul EV that’s as unique as Smitten’s
deliciously fresh-frozen treats.
Following the SEMA show, the street-legal Smitten Soul EV will operate
as a catering/marketing display vehicle for the Smitten Ice Cream Company.
High-Performance K900
Team owners and
drivers regularly arrive at tracks around the country in performance-oriented
luxury vehicles. Like their race car
brethren, these vehicles are often customized to wring every last ounce of
performance from their OEM roots. They sport modifications to the exterior,
interior, wheels, tires, brakes, suspension, and engine—all in the name of more
power and improved driving dynamics. Kia Racing drivers,
Mark Wilkins and Nic Jönsson, consulted with LUX Motorwerks, providing input
into the kind of vehicle they would like to drive to and from the track, and
the result is the High-Performance K900 debuting at today’s SEMA Show.
Starting with a
custom, one-off body kit with carbon fiber inserts, custom-blended gray paint,
blacked-out chrome trim and massive 21-inch gloss-black HRE RS100 wheels
wrapped in Pirelli tires, the High-Performance K900 is offers a subtly menacing
appearance, which hints at the power underneath.
The interior features
luxurious tan leather seats with black suede accents and bespoke touches such
as 11-inch seatback monitors showing in-car footage from iRacing.com Motorsport
Simulations to allow rear-seat passengers to learn or refresh their knowledge
of each track’s all-important racing line while en route to the circuit. In the trunk are custom compartments for a
driving suit and helmet, complete with a ProDryer to remove perspiration
following a long day of hard work behind the wheel.
The High-Performance
K900 adds a professional-grade boost to the stock vehicle’s 420-horsepower,
five-liter V8, thanks to a unique Garrett 2871R twin-turbo application visible
through a viewing port in the trunk.
With an estimated output hovering near 650 horsepower, the turbo units’
unconventional placement helps reduce engine compartment heat build-up under
full throttle and doesn’t require the removal of any sheet metal beneath the
sculpted lines of the hood. A lowered
Eibach suspension keeps this special version of Kia’s flagship sedan planted
and level, and Ksport 8-piston brakes paired with 15-inch cross-drilled rotors
offer the confidence of control.
The High-Performance
K900 ensures the drive to and from the track is as exciting as the drive around
it.
Ultimate Karting Sedona
Karting is how many
of today’s top professional race drivers got their start and this all-new 2015 Kia Sedona
has been transformed into the ultimate kart hauler. Painted Kinetic Motorsports Red overlaid with
vinyl graphics that pay tribute to the championship-winning Kia Racing Optimas,
the Sedona sports matching 20-inch BBS CH-R white powder-coated wheels mounted
with Pirelli P Zero rubber. Atop the
vehicle is a custom-built kart rack with space for a CRG Bambino kart and a
Fiamma F35 Pro Awning, providing much-needed shade while racers turn wrenches
or wait for the next round of open-wheel action on the track. A second kart, a CRG Road Rebel shifter, is
carried by a custom-built aluminum and diamond-plate trailer on matching
18-inch BBS CH-R wheels.
Repairs and off-track
tuning are all part of the fun of a day at the races, and the Sedona’s interior
has been transformed into a mobile garage to carry the necessary tools, spares
and supplies. The floor has been leveled
and covered in black-and-white RaceDeck rubber flooring, and the vehicle has
been kitted out with a toolbox, featuring a built-in Infinity subwoofer and
amp, and a tire bead breaker.
Hand-built, diamond-plate shelves fill the cargo area of the Sedona and
provide storage for spare tires, a five-gallon gas tank and Sparco karting
gear. Sparco also supplied Chrono Road
seats to finish off the racy look of the interior.
Pirelli World Challenge GTS Optima
First shown at the
2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, when Kia Motors America announced that it would
augment its championship-winning Forte Koup racing program with an entry into
the Pirelli World Challenge, this championship winning Kia Racing Optima
features an exciting new livery for the 2015 racing season.
Kia Racing clinched
the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring Sport (GTS) Class Manufacturer
Championship in only its third season of competition. Kia defeated rivals Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche,
Aston Martin and Nissan to become the first Korean auto manufacturer to win the
coveted championship. Kia Racing
finished the stellar season with 13 podium finishes, including 5 race wins.
Meanwhile, the turbocharged Optima race cars led more on-track miles than any
other manufacturer in the class this season, a testimony to the speed and
reliability of the Kia Optima.
The No. 38
B.R.A.K.E.S. Optima turbo on display at SEMA was driven by Mark Wilkins
throughout the 2014 season and utilizes the same 2.0-liter turbocharged
four-cylinder GDI engine found in the Kia Optima SX and SXL. The engine block, head and crank shaft are
stock Kia parts. Power output has been
increased from the stock 274 HP to about 368 HP and is routed to the front
wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission.
The Kia Racing Optima weighs 2,950 pounds and has a top speed of 160
mph.
Wilkins finished the
season third in the Driver Championship, scoring two wins and six podiums. Teammate Nic Jönsson, in the No. 36
DonorsChoose.org Optima turbo (not shown at the SEMA Show), finished the season
seventh in the Driver Championship with three wins and seven podiums.
Not only do Kia Racing’s
performances reinforce the quality and dependability of Kia’s vehicles against
the very best under the most extreme conditions, they support and increase
awareness for two important charitable organizations. B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone
Safe) provides free advanced driver’s education to teenage drivers with the
goal of preventing injuries and saving lives. DonorsChoose.org is an online
charity devoted to helping public school students in need of learning
materials. Teachers post classroom
project requests, and donors give to the projects that most inspire them.
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