12:31 PM
Auto Car Design and Review
November 16, 2011 at 5:05pm by Alexander Stoklosa
Kia’s racing portfolio already includes a Forte Koup that it runs in the Street Tuner class in Grand-Am and the recently announced Rio B-Spec race car conversion kit. Today at the L.A. auto show, the company announced that it will add to its existing programs with two turbocharged Optima SX sedans that will campaign in the Grand Touring Sport class of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge series.
When we recently tested a 2011 Kia Optima SX, we felt its combination of fine handling and a powerful 274-hp, turbocharged four-cylinder engine made it one of the best drivers in the mid-size segment. Kia is banking on those same traits giving the race Optimas an edge. So too is the racing shop that handled Kia’s Koup effort, Kinetic Motorsports, which was charged with turning the Optima SXs into World Challenge contenders.
In addition to a gutted and caged interior, the race car gets a sweet set of BBS wheels wrapped in racing slicks. There are lots of carbon-fiber bits scattered over the Optima’s exterior: The rear valance, lower intakes, grille, and mirror housings all are made of the stuff. (That’s just a big sticker on the show car pictured here.) Our favorite thing about the racing Optima’s look is that we don’t imagine it’s too hard to replicate—you could bolt a similar set of wheels to any Optima, lower it, and have a mighty attractive sedan. It might just not handle quite as well.
Posted in: Campaign,Challenge,Optima,Pirelli,Racing,Sedans,Series,Turbocharged,World
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