Words: Sean Haddy
Photos: Ralph Lee
To be honest, I did not originally purchase my Sand Beige ‘04.5 Spectra with plans to build a show and performance car. It was only to give my family something better than what we already had. Obviously I couldn‘t leave well enough alone.
At the time I started looking for my new car, I still owned my first car, a ‘71 Chevy Nova. I think it got about one mile per gallon (no, that isn‘t much of an exaggeration), and my wife drove a box that I wouldn‘t even call a car. So I looked for something that was roomy and had good gas mileage. The first time I saw a Spectra, I seriously thought, “Wow, there‘s a car with a lot of potential.” It had a lot of room inside and was surprisingly peppy. It had features my family would love and, to be honest, I saw that it could also be a fun project car for me. I‘ve always loved challenges and I enjoy being a little different, so choosing a car that is not typically modified was right up my alley. I bought it.
It wasn‘t long before I got the bug and started to modify my Spectra. I wanted to find out what I could and couldn‘t do with the car, what was legal, and so forth. So I visited several online Kia communities, including StreetKiaz.com, KiaSpeed2.com and Kia-forums.com. I became involved with each of them and am still involved with SK and KS2. These sites helped me gather the information I needed for modifications, and I got other opinions and feedback about what I was planning for my car. These sites are an invaluable source of information for my little auto adventures.
I began the modifications cautiously, but even now I‘m still coming up with ideas for something else to do to my Kia. The first thing I changed was the taillights. I looked at styles I liked on other cars, then blended them together with the stock taillights to create a sleek and simple yet different look.
As I started personalizing my Spectra, I looked for opportunities and sponsorships and came upon a few arrangements where I would let companies use my car to develop new custom parts. I received new product in exchange for donating my car for a few hours or days. I provided my Spectra to ARK Speed Racing for fitment of a full cat-back exhaust system that they made from a KDM Elantra system, and received the system in exchange. Next I worked with StreetKiaz and KFX Performance on their web design and some other administrative duties in exchange for an anti-roll bar, strut tower brace, and lowering springs.
Future plans for the car include a turbo system, leather-covered seats, custom Plexiglas trunk show display, underbody and interior neon lights, Fluxion side skirts, two-tone paint treatment with black added to the top of the car, coil-over front and rear suspension kit, and a carbon fiber trunk lid.
I hope to continue working with sponsors and ultimately earn a spot for my Spectra in a popular import tuning magazine to increase the awareness of Kia in the tuning market. Anything can be done when you’re motivated and creative. I look forward to the next modification phases for my car and will continue to update ShowSpectra.com, so login and check out the latest.
Special thanks to KFX Performance, ARK Speed Racing, Kiaspeed2.com, StreetKiaz.com, Socalkiatuners.com, HolyRollerz.org, and my wife, friends, faith and family for standing behind me and my project.
Visit Sean’s site, ShowSpectra.com, and check out all kinds of custom Kias at Kia-Forums.com. And if you have a custom Kia, or a story involving your Kia that you’d like to tell, by all means go to Kia.com/owners and click the “Contact Kia” button. We’d love to hear about it, and if we print your story, you’ll receive a $100 gas card.
"This article is meant to convey the creativity of some Kia owners. Some modifications discussed in this article may void the warranty or interfere with the operation or safety of other equipment, or may alter the performance of the vehicle in some way. Kia Motors America makes no promise about the benefit, performance, or the effect on the warranty programs of any current or anticipated modifications to the subject vehicle that are discussed in this article or series, or about the modifications discussed in the various websites cited in this article. See your owner's manual and warranty manual for more details."
