Spy Photos: Kia and Galmer GT SuperCar !!

In the past, we've had confirmations of the Aston 177, the Renault Ondelios and a number of predictions in A1GP and F1GP. In this case though, we get a confirmation of an earlier concept becoming reality, and a supercar from Galmer about to be released globally from their HQ in Thailand.

1) Kia Soul:

In Edition 24 - The Summer 09 Edition, we reported that Kia had unveiled a concept by the name of The Soulster at the North American International AutoShow.

The photos to the right reveal a Kia being driven around the main streets of Korea where Kia head quarters are. The body work, some trim and interior are remarkably close to those reported to us by the company earlier this year. This specific example is the 4 door variant without the removable panel roof. 

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2) Galmer GT:

More exciting still, is the confirmation of previously rumoured information on the Galmer GT by Cobra International. Although some internet hype shows typically 3d rendered drawings and computer designs, we were hesitant to jump on the bandwagon until our own resources were able to confirm information directly from the Cobra International HQ in Thailand. 

We can confirm that the car is indeed in production and due for release later this year. 

Depicted here is our interpretation of the rear end aerodynamics and diffusion design. Typical of most top end SuperCars, the Galmer GT addresses front end and chassis stability whilst capturing the air rushing in the under carriage to provide cooling for brakes, engine bay and diffusion of the rear end. The rear spoiler is there of course to generate the down-force necessary to hold that rear end firmly on the ground.

Although there is still little `official' information available on true `on road' performance, we expect that this would be a mid 3 second car at the 0 - 100k rating, with a top speed approaching 300kph. When you consider that the boys at Cobra Int decided to drop the aging and maxed out VW3.2ltr V6 engine, for the new headroom abundant Chevrolet LS7 7ltr motor found in the Corvette, powering a lightweight all carbon fibre body, we feel we're not too far off the mark with those numbers !

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For those that enjoy our official Press Releases, below is the latest from Cobra International;

The Galmer Arbitrage GT (www.arbitragecars.com) will prove to be the car that everyone would like to own. It has been designed and engineered to hold up to the most intense scrutiny of the motor sports enthusiast. It is being constructed with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and mostly carbon fiber body that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars less than the nearest competitor in it's class. The secret lies within Cobra International Co., Ltd's experience in lightweight composites and simply the cost of manufacturing in Thailand .

The Galmer Arbitrage GT is a car designed to be everything that a sports car should be without the complexities that exist in other sports cars today. It is a back to basics approach while still using the best of available technology. This concept has given the Galmer Arbitrage GT it's three words that the team lives by everyday; PURE DESIGN, POWER AND PERFORMANCE. The words were prefaced by the understanding the car must be strikingly beautiful to the eye, be as light weight as possible, have a cockpit designed large enough to accommodate a basketball player, and most importantly, the owner should never be afraid to service or repair it. It is with these ideals that the Galmer Arbitrage GT was created .

DESIGN

The original design that inspired the Galmer Arbitrage GT came from Togay Yuvanc, a self taught, 3d designer and highly knowledgeable race car enthusiast. The baseline design was then redesigned for practical purposes and eye appeal, before being sent to Galmer for pre-engineering approval. From the origination of the design, aerodynamics always remained at the forefront. CFD testing was done to screen out any serious airflow and aerodynamic issues. After several corrections to body curves due to headlight clearance issues, window opening issues and wheelbase adjustments due to the powertrain change to the LS7, The design remains fixed at what you see in the gallery section of the website. The worldwide feedback after the release of the design was overwhelmingly positive. Indeed all of us breathed a little easier after daily checks of the hundreds of websites that reviewed the press release and pictures of the car.

PERFORMANCE

The Galmer Arbitrage GT has been designed and engineered for extremely high speed track stability. The underbody of the car is completely unique and never seen on a road car or any available "out of the box" sportscar ever produced. The suspension is particularly unique with every piece specifically designed for the Galmer Arbitrage GT. Until the track testing is completed, we will not make any performance claims. But sure you will see this car at a 24hr race in the near future. Basically this car is "race ready" with everything in it's place. At the same time, tame enough to drive around town.

COMPONENT KIT CAR?

Because of the enormous cost of homologation for the USA market, the Galmer Arbitrage GT will be exported into the USA without the powertrain and many of the parts that have been sourced outside of thailand . All cars will arrive at a staging area in the USA that will do the final consolidation of all parts and process the final “packaging” for each individual car. Once the packaging is complete, it is our goal that the buyer or the buyers chosen assembler, can assemble the car in less than 100 man hours. A complete assembly dvd and manual will be included with each car. Cobra International Co., Ltd. does not provide the engine or transaxle, but a list of prefered suppliers will be posted on the website at a later time. The Galmer Arbitrage GT will indeed set the bar for modern kit cars of this generation. nothing is from a donor car. nothing from a salvage yard. Everything is new and specific for each car. Every part is numbered accordingly. Every part that is to be painted is painted already according to the customers instructions. There is only the assembly of each beautifully crafted part. The wiring harness is preinstalled. This makes the everything just plug and play, with no hassles.

POWER

Back in the beginning, the VW/AUDI 3.2 liter V6 twin turbocharged engine mated to a DSG gearbox was the drivetrain of choice for the Galmer Arbitrage GT. Indeed at that time we were very excited about this match-up. But after several months it was clear that neither VW and the potential buyers were that interested in this drivetrain being put into the Galmer Artbitrage GT. So the team went back to the drawing board and selected the most powerful small block V8 ever made; the 7 liter, 505 horsepower, Chevrolet LS7 . It was the best "second" choice we have made on this project. Firstly, this engine has 505 horsepower out of the box. The tuning potential is enormous, not to mention that Chevrolet is talking about a LSX 800+ horsepower engine that will be able to go into the Galmer Arbitrage GT without any problems. Another factor that aided in our decision was emissions. Being a tuner of European cars for many years in the USA, Kevin Gallahan understood that the VW/AUDI 3.2 liter V6 twin turbocharged engine would not pass emissions requirements in most states. The LS7 in the Galmer Arbitrage GT, will be able to pass through 50 USA states' emissions control.

To get the power to the wheels, The Galmer Arbitrage GT will be using a custom made, GEARFOX, 6 speed transaxle. Look for specifications for this transaxle in the upcoming days on the website.

INTERIOR

The interior was another very serious issue for the team. Many, many designs were submitted and consequently rejected for one reason or the other. The important factors involved with the interior was style, flexibility, left hand drive/right hand drive changeability, and overall access to gauges, HVAC, and accessories. The current interior design gives the owner an infinite number of choices for color and texture of materials as well as easy change-outs for gauges and data loggers or Motec type dashboards. Weight savings was also constantly considered during the design process. A digital touchscreen interface provided by I Squared will be used for many features of the electronics, while still using some tactile switches when necessary. The Galmer Arbitrage GT will come standard with a Pioneer AV unit and navigation system. The rear view mirror can be replaced with a triple LCD screen version for left/right/center rear view cameras as seen in the gallery. Another available option will be fingerprint recognition for secure entrance into the car as well as starting the vehicle. Seating options will be numerous with fully adjustable to fixed carbon fiber racing seats available. Look for these choices on the website later. Although carpeting may be available, we just don't understand why someone would want to cover all that carbon fiber. Instead, we recommend using the custom made Galmer leather floor mats.

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28/11/09: In another world first, our sources within Cobra International reveal to use exclusive photos of the Asian supercar in preparation for the Bangkok Motorshow on December 2nd .. Read More here: http://www.autobabes.com.au/content/Misc/index.php?page=-Arbitrage-Cobra

The Kia Soulster concept unveiled at the NAIAS in 2009
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The Kia Soulster as reported in Edition 24 early in 2009

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The Kia Soulster as reported in Edition 24 early in 2009
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Spy photos in Korea revealed what may be the Kia Soulster in test drives . 
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Spy photos in Korea revealed what may be the Kia Soulster in test drives .
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