The team that executed this built was led by Tyrone Johnson, the Head of Vehicle Test and Development at the Hyundai Motor Group European Test and Development facility in Germany. Johnson is known for his work on hot hatchbacks at Ford until he joined Hyundai Motor Europe in 2018.
A K&N sports air filter and a lightweight Milltek Sport quad-exit exhaust system with catalysts deleted were fitted in place of the factory items. A six-row automatic transmission cooler was fitted, in place of a four-row, ensuring that the automatic transmission won’t overheat during track sessions. The transmission software was recalibrated to have quicker shifting characteristic in Sport and Sport+ modes.
A custom roll cage was installed along with a pair of Sparco race seats with race belts and the all-important fire extinguisher mounted in the cabin. A Lite Blox LiPo battery is installed to replace the original item, saving 22kgs.
Wider OZ Racing Leggera rims saved approximately 5 kg per wheel, and Pirelli Trofeo R tires were selected for maximum track grip with 235/35/R19 up front and 265/30/R19 in the rear. The Stinger GT420 was also fitted with uprated front Brembo brakes with six-pot calipers and racing steel flex pipes, along with high performance 380 x 34 mm discs and Endless pads.
Cooling ducts and deflectors ensure that the brakes have the maximum cooling capacity needed on the race-track and tweaks to the anti-lock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control ensures that they deliver optimum performance for on-track use. In Sport+ mode and by switching the traction control and electronic stability control off completely, the Stinger GT420 becomes easy to drift.
A Stillen front splitter and rear diffuser were added, along with a rear spoiler by Air Design. But the final pièce de résistance is an eye-catching wrap that integrates with the existing HiChroma Red exterior paint, adding white and graphite grey elements, advertises the race-spec upgrades and reveals the ‘GT420’ name.
Kia’s current tagline could have been created just for this project – The power to surprise – which it does.
Δ