Kia's Track'ster concept.
Remember when you were a child, and you wanted a particular gift for Christmas, or a birthday? Remember how you promised to clean your room, wash dad’s car, brush your teeth, eat your vegetables and even be nice to your sister? That’s kind of how we are with Kia’s Chicago stunner, the Track’ster concept. Just tell us what we have to do in order for you to put this into production, and consider it done.
Loosely based on the pedestrian Kia Soul, the Track’ster concept loses two doors, gets a five-inch wider track and a stretched wheelbase. Power comes from Kia’s 2.0-liter turbo four, which puts out 250 horsepower in Track’ster trim, and gets mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Power goes to all four wheels, and the Brembo brakes are the very definition of “overkill.” Up front, six-pot calipers grab 14 inch rotors, while the rear gets four-piston calipers and 13.6 inch rotors.
Kia has no plans to put the Track’ster into production, but quite frankly we’re not listening. We know it would be a limited-appeal vehicle, and would have to sell at a ridiculous sticker price, but that doesn’t matter because we still want one. The Track’ster is in the same spirit as cars like the Renault R5 Turbo2, the Ford Fiesta SHOgun and even the Smartbusa. It’s been a long time since anyone has built something this crazy, and we can’t think of a better way for Kia to step up its reputation among enthusiast drivers.
Build the Track’ster, and the buyers will come.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
