SEMA 2011: Kia loves Sports and Racing

Kia has a sports theme going on with their SEMA cars.  Well that, and race cars.  I showed you the Rio Surf concept and the Forte Hockey concept in the first preview post, and there's also a basketball-themed Optima and a Golf-themed Soul.

Of all the sports-themed Kias, the "Slam Dunk" Blake Griffin Optima Hybrid (pictured top) is... the weirdest.  Blake Griffin has been bouncing around (pun intended) in Kia ads for a bit now, so the tie-in isn't surprising.  Most obvious on this Hybrid Optima would be the basketball-looking paint job, although it strikes me as looking a bit like snake skin.  The custom paint was done by West Coast Customs, and a set of 20" matte black wheels spruce things up a bit.  Inside, there's basketball-court floors(!), custom leather seats with the LA Clipper's players signature embroidered in them, and a smattering of leather and suede.  The trunk houses a Pop-a-Shot miniature basketball game, and there are the requisite flat-screens in the back of the front headrests linked to an XBox console.

Weird, yes.  Kia's other Optima show car is an Optima Hybrid outfitted as a pace car, a tie-in with Kia's recent racing efforts that include the Forte Koup (and soon the Rio hatch, see below.)  Done up by GoGoGear, the Optima Hybrid has an intake, Magnaflow exhaust, adjustable coil-over suspension, and all the additional exterior lighting a pace car needs.  It will be taking over pace car duties in the USTCC (US Touring Car Championship) from the Soul.  There's also a 2,400w stereo and some other interior goodies; maybe so the pace car drivers stay entertained?

Kia's Forte has been a race-track success for the company, which took two wins in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge this year.  They used the SEMA show to debut their newest racer, a Rio 5-door hatchback for SCCA B-Prep - although it can also be modified for use in Grand-AM, NASA, and World Challenge racing.

The Rio racer is a package developed and sold by Kinetic Motorsport, and it's fairly basic necessary race-car stuff.  A stripped interior with an integral cage, race bucket and harness, quick-release wheel, as well as spec tires, lightweight wheels, and race shocks.  They also throw in a larger oil sump to keep up with the demands that high cornering forces present.  Like the Yaris Spec B racer, the Rio will be competiting with the likes of the Fiesta, Mazda2, and Fiat 500 in SCCA-sanctioned events.  My kind of racing-  low power, high grip, low cost of entry - should be fun to watch!

Stay tuned for more SEMA coverage!