KOREAN maker Kia celebrates its' 80 anniversary this year and to mark the occasion the company's UK arm has produced an unlikely commemorative model.
In collaboration with British EV powertrain and conversion specialists Electrogenic, Kia UK has upcycled a 1996 Kia Pride supermini and turned it into a unique, money-can't-buy, electric vehicle.
Described as a ‘restomod', the 28-year-old, 1.3 LX five-door hatchback has been restored and modified with almost all its original internal combustion components replaced by a fully electric powertrain. Only its original five-speed manual transmission and drive shafts have been retained to ensure maximum driver engagement.
The conversion from petrol to electric power was carried out by hand in the UK. The Pride EV is fully road-legal and, somewhere between a curio and a plaything, intended to be as engaging to drive as an early hot hatch.
The Pride EV is the most powerful of its kind ever created - Kia calls it a ‘socket rocket'. The motor's peak power output is significantly more than the four-cylinder 1.1 or 1.3-litre engines originally offered with the Pride.
When new in 1996, the original 1.3 litre engine produced 60bhp at 5,500rpm, and 87lb ft torque at 3,500 rpm. Now in its place is an electric motor, which spins at up to 8,000rpm and produces up to 107bhp, an increase of 77.7 per cent. In its most powerful drive mode, the Pride EV's motor also produces a peak 173lb ft of torque - almost double that of the original petrol engine.
The powertrain has three drive modes and on the most powerful Sport setting, Kia reckons the Pride EV will see-off the benchmark 0-60mph sprint in less than an estimated eight seconds.
When driven sensibly in Eco mode, the Pride EV is able to travel up to around 120 miles on a single charge. Driven less sensibly, or in Sport mode, drivers can expect to see this fall somewhat, admits Kia UK.
The original structure of the Pride, which came from Kia UK's heritage fleet, has been entirely preserved and, apart from the powertrain, there have been few other modifications amounting to little more a respray and minor trim enhancements. All are entirely reversible, according to Kia, which describes the Pride EV project as "a labour of love and levity".