More than half a century ago, Bruce Meyers captured the essence of the 1960s California beach vibe with his Meyers Manx dune buggy. For less than a thousand bucks, anyone with basic mechanical skills and access to a junkyard VW Beetle could grab a piece of the California dream. Now Kia is revisiting the regional-demographic/off-road-focused premise with its Forte Koup Mud Bogger, a concept said to represent the American South and its inhabitants’ love for getting “dirty on four wheels.”
-It’s all about the tire when it comes to running mud, and the Mud Bogger’s 28-inch off-road rubber certainly looks capable of slinging some serious sludge. Mounted on bright-white wheels, the look is equal parts agricultural and industrial, with a smidge of commercial ATV thrown in for good measure. Clearing the combo required a four-inch body and suspension lift and trimming of the fenders; massive fender flares are riveted in place in an effort to keep the spray somewhat contained. A white tubular front bumper matches the wheels, and intentionally or not, does a bang up job of channeling the unit found on ’70s Saturday-morning TV star Wonderbug.
-To prepare the interior for action, the carpet was removed and the entire floor covered in Line-X protective coating, a roll cage (powder-coated to match the wheels, natch) was installed, and a set of Sparco Evo II race seats were bolted on in place of the stock units. A vinyl pushback top was fitted to ensure no passengers return to base unscathed by the torrent of mud.
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- Instrumented Test: 2014 Kia Forte Koup SX Turbo Manual
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- Feature: Kia Forte Koup Race Car
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- Kia Forte Koup Research: Pricing, Photos, Specs and More!
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This being SEMA, you shouldn’t need to be reminded that the Forte Koup Mud Bogger is just a concept, although it would make for one of the best special-edition cars we’ve ever seen. Should Kia offer any more details on the Bogger during the show, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/20aHNyF
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