Kia UK celebrates the brand’s 80th anniversary with one-off electric Kia Pride restomod complete with manual gearbox
This is the Kia Pride EV, a one-off restomod built in the UK by specialist Electrogenic to celebrate the South Korean manufacturer’s 80th anniversary.
Based on a five-door 1996 Kia Pride 1.3 LX from the Kia UK heritage fleet, the car’s 60bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine has been ditched in favour of a single electric motor producing 107bhp. It retains its front-drive layout – and crucially, its five-speed manual gearbox, with a new performance clutch to handle the power and torque increase.
Power is supplied by a pair of 10kWh battery packs, charged via a Type 2 socket beneath the original filler flap. Charging takes about six hours from a conventional wall box.
While the donor car was originally finished in Kingfisher Blue, the restomod process saw it stripped and reprayed in White Pearl, a colour found on the brand’s modern EV lineup. Modernised front and rear lights help improve safety, while the interior is finished in period-correct cloth but with additional lime green piping – a nod to the high-performance Kia EV6 GT.
Kia has dubbed its playful creation a ‘socket rocket’ thanks to its considerable performance increase. Torque is increased from 87lb ft in standard form to 173lb ft, available from 0 to 2500rpm – a considerable 99.2% increase. Three driving modes – Eco, Sport and Auto – allow for range and performance to be prioritised as required, as well as adjusting regenerative braking settings. Kia claims performance is ‘similar to that of various petrol-powered hot hatches from the 1970s and 1980s’.
Kia claims the conversion has only brought a small weight gain of about 20kg, from 850kg to 870kg. An improvement in weight distribution is claimed thanks to the positioning of the batteries.
Originally founded as Kyungsung Precision Industry – a bicycle component manufacturer – in 1944, the firm became Kia Industries in 1952 and created its first motor vehicle, a small three-wheeled truck, in 1962.
Kia’s first car, the Kia Brisa, arrived in 1974 but the company didn’t enter the UK market until 1991 with the value-focused Pride city car. Since then, Kia has found a strong foothold on these shores and has become a leader in the recent EV revolution alongside its Hyundai sister firm.
Needless to say, its latest creation will not be available to buy in Kia showrooms – the Kia Pride EV is what the company describes as a ‘present to itself’. Kia will, however, be confirming the car’s exact performance figures later this year.
