You know there's nothing much going on when a manufacturer preps for the SEMA show with a vehicle dubbed the High-Performance. Still, this is one neat-looking Kia K900, one that's blending full-size sedan luxury with some go-faster bits and bobs.
Even though most of us will head to the Specialty Equipment Market Association event to check out the gazillion horsepower muscle cars, lowriders, sport trucks and such, SEMA is also the place for less popular automakers to showcase their cars.
Take Kia Motors America as a prime example of what I'm trying to say. Their flagship is called the K900 and on any given day it's your typical luxury sedan alternative to far more expensive German executive barges. However, the SEMA-special K900 concept is boasting a less buttoned-down character than it's showroom-spec, suit & tie brother.
Uninspiredly baptized the High-Performance, this lil' bugger is described by Kia Motors America as "the machine that carries a racing driver or team owner to and from the track on a daily basis." Right… Still, there are some non-standard elements we dig a lot, elements such as the custom body kit with carbon fiber trim and blacked-out chrome here and there.
Other than those, the exterior makeover also adds a wicked-looking gray paint job and massive 21-inch rollers hiding red-painted brake calieprs. All things considered, this is not your typical yob tune job, but a Kia K900 with an attitude. In terms of performance upgrades, the automaker didn't mention anything.
Alas, it's safe to assume there's a 5-liter V8 engine under the long hood, hiked from the factory-spec 420 horsepower and 376 lb-ft to a more brutish output. 500, 600, 700 hp, it's mum's guess how much.
According to the noise the High-Performance K900 makes in the teaser video below, the V8 engine's growl is obviously different than that of the normal luxury sedan, which makes us wonder if engineers added a new, catback exhaust system to enhance the aural experience this South Korean car offers.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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