CHAPTER 1
A SMALL LIMITED RUN
Rarety is something that usually only applies to supercars. Limited cars usually will cost a lot of money. It is because, most of the time, the vehicles are tailor-made to client specifications. So naturally, we see regular car brands as mass-production companies making thousands of cars daily—still, nice cars, to be fair, but still mass production. A few car brands made a limited run of a model—one of those brands being KIA. KIA was a brand that had a dusty image before 2008. But around 2009, they completely reinvented themselves and began making real progress in car design. The KIA Pro_Ceed is one of those examples. The second-gen Pro_Ceed came on the market in 2012. KIA realized that there had to be a performance version of the car. A year later, the GT was introduced. KIA made a 1st edition limited run of only 500 vehicles to celebrate the model's introduction. And Leroy drives number 262 out of the 500.
''at first they did not believe me I was not even allowed to test drive. So we didn't even get to negotiate a price either. A month later the car was still for sale and I went back. With success.''
CHAPTER 2
FINDING THAT SPECIAL CAR
For him, it al started four years ago. When he was looking for a new car, he wanted it to be something special. A Cupra or a VW GTI are good fun, he thought, but many people already own them. So the benchmark was set for him. After searching the internet, he came across this car and was immediately intrigued. From here the story gets a bit weird. So he went to the car dealer to look at the car he saw. As he went to the dealer and mentioned the Kia, he wasn't taken seriously at all. To quote Leroy: ''At first they did not believe me I was not even allowed to test drive. So we didn't even get to negotiate a price either. A month later, the car was still for sale, and I went back. With success.'' The moment he entered the dealer, he fell in love with the car. Even though the first time he got turned down, he knew he had to get this car. This was what he was looking for. With the deal done, he now owned this amazing rare Kia Pro_Ceed GT.
CHAPTER 3
SUBTLE AND MORE EXCLUSIVE
What makes this car so special? As mentioned before, Kia noticed quickly that they needed a hot hatch of their new car. So the GT was developed. The GT has a 1.6 GDi engine with 204 horsepower and 265 nm of torque—pretty good numbers for a hatchback. The GT also came with specially designed Recaro seats with a GT steering wheel. And many options more, maybe too much to name in this segment. To celebrate the new Kia to the market they made a limited 1st edition with extra options only available to this model. These consist of High gloss black rims, High gloss black side mirrors,
Standard panorama roof, Chrome door entry moldings provided with Limited Edition number, Red mood lights footwell, Floor mats finished with red stitching. In comparison with a standard GT, you get a little more exclusivity. I get why Leroy couldn't let this car go. It was just too unique to let go.
CHAPTER 4
A PERSONAL TOUCH
This car doesn't need many upgrades to make it better. On its own already it is a very nice looking car. Leroy also wanted to keep the car as stock as possible, which is logical with a car like this. He did some modifications to make the car a little more of his own. First, he made the GT badges red to suit the car's subtle red details. So there are hints of red elements on the inside and outside. Second, he modified the stock blow-off valve and a middle muffler delete. For a more aggressive sound while driving. And last, on the back side of the car. He tinted the rear lights a few shades darker for a more aggressive look. And he installed a spoiler, which in its own words, is very rare and hard to find. All very subtle modifications to make the car stand out a little more. In my opinion, he did a great job on the vehicle.
