What you're looking at here is a very special Kia Stinger GT. It was used as a pre-production homologation car to carry out testing for Kia's new flagship, was used as a cover car for various UK magazines, and appeared in Top Gear and The Grand Tour. It was also used as a dealer roadshow vehicle at Kia showroom unveil events, as well as final testing and tuning in the UK.

Now that the Stinger has launched, the pre-production model was due to be sent to the junkyard last year. But Kia decided to give it the send-off it deserved and used it as the base to create a one-off track special. Meet the Kia Stinger GT420, which was created with the help, advice and engineering expertise from the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center in Russelsheim, Germany.

In stock form, the Kia Stinger GT's 3.3-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine produces 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, but the one-off GT420 has been cranked up to 422 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. To achieve this, Kia fitted HKS M45il spark plugs for enhanced combustion, a K&N sports air filter, and a lightweight Milltek Sport quad-exit exhaust system. A six-row automatic transmission cooler was also fitted to prevent the automatic transmission from overheating during track driving and the software was recalibrated for quicker shifts in Sport and Sport+ modes.

To reduce weight, the Stinger GT420's interior was stripped out. The seats and belts, airbags, sound system, interior trim, and rear window regulators were removed, along with the engine cover, undercovers, parking sensors, boot and bonnet dampers and rear bumper beam and foam. The rear windows were also glued into place and lightweight door cards installed. The Stinger's sunroof was removed and replaced by a steel panel. After the installation of the roll cage, racing seats, belts and fire extinguisher, the Stinger GT420 is around 330 pounds lighter than the standard car.

Wider OZ Racing Leggera rims were also fitted saving around 11 pounds per wheel, which were wrapped in Pirelli Trofeo R tires. The camber angle was increased to -2.5 degrees by modifying the front cross-member, and uprated front brakes featuring Brembo six-pot calipers and racing steel flex pipes were fitted, along with high-performance discs and Endless pads. Standard Stinger V6 brakes were utilized at the back. Cooling ducts and deflectors provide additional cooling for the brakes, and the anti-lock brakes, traction control, and electronic stability control were tweaked to deliver optimum performance on the track. Kia says the Stinger GT420 becomes easy to drift in Sport+ mode with the traction control and electronic stability control switched off.

To give the one-off Stinger a sportier appearance, a new front splitter and rear diffuser have been added, along with a rear spoiler. It also features an eye-catching wrap with white and graphite grey elements that blend with the HiChroma Red paintwork. The result looks like a touring car racer. Sadly, the Kia GT420 isn't for sale as it's a one-off project, but the standard Kia Stinger GT starts at $39,300.