Kia->ke41 may not have a rich racing heritage, but the past four years have proven the Koreans can develop competitive race cars. On U.S. soil, the Forte Koup marked the company's debut in motorsport, specifically in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The Forte was replaced in 2012 by the third-gen Kia Optima, which became the manufacturer's official entry in the Pirelli World Challenge. After securing its first win in its maiden season, the Optima went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge's Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class in 2014, defeating rivals from Ford,->ke31 Chevrolet,->ke199 Porsche->ke1 and Aston Martin.->ke13 As we venture toward the 2015 season, the Koreans have introduced their updated racer at the 2014 SEMA Show.->ke216

As you'd expect from a Pirelli World Challenge contender, not much has changed with the Optima GTS. Most internals carry over unmodified, as does the turbocharged, 2.0-liter engine that utilizes many stock Kia parts. There is one thing that's different from last season's car though, but you'll have to read on to find out more about that.

Click past the jump to read more about the Kia Optima Pirelli World Challenge GTS.

Kia Optima Pirelli World Challenge GTS in detail

It might not be the most exciting change for a race car, but the Optima GTS showcases a brand-new livery. The exterior color scheme is quite important in the motorsport scene -- it's the part of the car that brings the most money via sponsoring -- and it was natural for Kia to celebrate last season's success with a new wrap. Although there's a new layout to gaze at, the team's colors remained unchanged, meaning the Optima GTS wears the already familiar red-and-white livery. But while last season's car was predominantly red, the new livery introduces a more balanced wrap; a 50-50 split between the two colors.

Motivating the Optima GTS is the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine found in the road-going car. The unit still uses the engine block, head and crank shaft, but a host of upgrades make it crank out 368 horsepower, 94 ponies more than the stock unit. Power is routed to the front wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission. Nearly 450 pounds lighter than its street-legal counterpart, the race-ready Optima needs around six seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph and hits a top speed of 160 mph.

Kia Optima