LAS VEGAS, NV — What’s going on outside of Detroit?
In addition to checking out the press conferences from the Big Three at SEMA, we also did a walk-by of some of the other major manufacturers. A trip around the world, so to speak.
We saw a sea of Honda Fits and some interesting truck concepts at the Toyota booth, but the two things that stood out to us most were:
Kia’s High-Performance K900
Kia showed off a race version of its 2015 K900 luxury sedan.
The High-Performance K900 uses a unique Garrett 2871R twin-turbo to bump the vehicle’s stock 450-horsepower 5.0L V8 up to reported 650 horsepower. A lowered Eibach suspension keeps this version of the K900 glued to the pavement, and Ksport 8-piston brakes with 15-inch rotors deliver the stopping power.
The somewhat-stealthy K900 featured at SEMA has a custom, one-off body kit with carbon fiber inserts, custom-blended gray paint, blacked out chrome trim, and 21-inch gloss black HRE RS100 wheels. Inside, tan leather seats with black suede accents provide the luxury. When we heard about the High-Performance K900, we didn’t want to be impressed. We didn’t think we’d be impressed. We were impressed.
Hyundai’s 800-Horsepower Sonata
Bisimoto Engineering, a company known for extracting big horsepower from DOHC and SOHC inline four-cylinder engines, built this crazy-stout Sonata that puts out over 800 horsepower. 888 horsepower to be exact, according to the dyno chart below.
Starting with Hyundai’s 2.4L Theta II engine, Bisimoto fortified the internals with forged pistons and connecting rods and added a higher revving camshaft and valvetrain. That all set the stage for a high-boost turbocharger, along with extensive upgrades to the Sonata’s fuel system.
Comments