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The one thing nobody has ever thought of while behind the wheel of the newly powered-up Kia Stinger GT is probably, “eh, this needs its roof hacked off.” But necessity evidently isn’t the only mother of invention, as a Florida Kia dealership recently commissioned a prototype of Kia’s sports sedan Sawzalled up just so, and unlike many soft-top conversions, it actually looks damned good.
Christened the Stinger GT-C by Orlando-area dealer City Kia, this conceptual convertible debuted Monday at a local car show to significant fanfare and warm reception on social media. To create the car, City Kia shipped a 2020 Stinger GT2 off to Jeff Moran of Drop Top Customs, a property of Convertible Builders LLC which has been lauded for its Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack ragtops.
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With its roof buzzed off and unibody reinforced where necessary, the Stinger then underwent modest performance augmentation to both its chassis and drivetrain. Eibach lowering springs and an anti-roll kit brought 20-inch Axe forged alloys deeper into the fenders, while a Strictly Business body kit with carbon fiber panels kept the weight down.
Beneath that composite hood lies the Stinger GT2’s 3.3-liter, twin-turbo Lambda II V6, ordinarily good for 368 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, though in this setup it may be capable of a few more. It now inhales through dual Velossa Tech ram air intakes with AEM filters and a Mishimoto intercooler, before exhaling again down Ultimate Performance downpipes and midpipes, and out a custom cat-back exhaust. All these serve to enhance throttle response, which is further sharpened by RaceChip software tweaks.
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Contrary to a City Kia Instagram post, a project spokesperson emphasized that the Stinger GT-C remains only a concept car for now and that no production run—intact warranty or not—has been confirmed. They did, however, tell The Drive “there’s real-world testing to do,” suggesting that production cars are at least a possibility. And if you’re keen for possibility to become probability, it’d be worth making a ruckus on City Kia’s social media and giving the Stinger GT-C’s official website a click.
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