Kia GT4 Stinger - official

UPDATE: 315hp and 1,300kg? Just build it Kia. Now

UPDATE: From what had already been revealed, the Kia GT4 Stinger appeared very PH-worthy. How could a RWD sports car with more than 300hp and a manual gearbox not catch our attention?

Daft name but the spec has got us interested

Now with the official launch of the GT4, there's a full spec of intriguing info. Such as a weight of 1,304kg, split near-perfectly 52:48 front to rear. Such as the Brembo brakes that are 15-inches in diameter and clasped by four-pot calipers. And if it looks squat, truncated and aggressive in the pics, the stats back that up; it's the same length as a Cee'd, nine inches (23cm) lower than a Rio and wider than an Optima.

The P-Zeros are 235/35R20s at the front and 275/35R20s behind. Kia promises 'loads of corner-hugging grip' which is all well and good, but what about the important stuff like oversteer? Fingers crossed a production version may tone the visual drama back a tad with some smaller wheels and narrower tyres.

Styled at Kia's Californian design studio, the official line on the GT4's appearance is that it 'moves Kia's design language in a bold new direction'. Chief Designer Tom Kearns goes further, and we can't help but be encouraged: "Driving enjoyment was the number one priority in designing the GT4 Stinger... It's a 2+2 sports car that can turn heads as a daily driver while also being right at home on the track. The GT4 Stinger is a throwback to days when driving a car was a visceral experience that wasn't muted by electronic gimmickry." Sounds hugely promising, no?

315hp and rear-driven - c'mon Kia, make it!

The GT4 even brings some motorsport kudos with it. The T-GDI engine is the same as that powering Kia's Optima racers in the Pirelli World Challenge, albeit with 315hp rather than the 400-plus of the Optimas.

And the motorsport theme continues inside. The door pulls may be a token gesture but the fact it comes without a stereo is a real sign of intent. In the words of designer Tom again, "The audio system starts under the hood and the speakers are the exhaust pipes". Slightly cringey perhaps, but we can appreciate the sentiment. On the road Kia says the GT4's free-flow exhaust 'burbles and blurts unabashedly'.

But will it be built? Officially there are no plans but that the GT4 'provides a possible and highly provocative glimpse into Kia's future'. Please Kia, you know you want to...

ORIGINAL STORY: 'Leaked' and 'teased' are words that will pepper PH for the next few days as manufacturers seek to garner interest in their cars and concepts at Detroit. And here's the first to be seen before it should, the Kia GT4 Stinger.

Can those DRLs be turned off?

The early images were encouraging, and those that have been leaked (we did warn you) now only heighten the excitement about a real Kia driver's car. The front is dominated by that tiger grille and stacked LEDs and probably isn't the GT4's best angle. But the side profile is great. The car looking squat and compact with some brilliant flared arches. It had a stance not dissimilar to the Nissan 370Z, a car Kia was surely aiming at.

From behind too, there's a decent set of tailpipes (hopefully genuine), a glass hatchback much like the F-Type's and some interesting lights. The GT4 looks good, put simply. And perhaps more relevantly, it doesn't look like an unfeasible production prospect.

315hp and a six-speed manual? Yes please

There's further good news inside, with a pair of racy seats, a driver-focused console and, best of all, a real gearstick connected to a six-speed manual transmission.

Some additional spec details have crept out with the pics too. So as well as the 315hp that was already known, the GT4 (we're not calling it a Stinger, even if it is the colour of a wasp) comes with Brembo brakes and Pirelli P-Zero tyres. They sit on centre-locking 20-inch wheels with carbon inserts.

More details when the car goes official later today.

[Sources: WCF, Autocar]

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Fartgalen

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