7:37 am, July 5, 2008
LOOK carefully at your TV when watching the F1 race this weekend – you may just spot a Kia in the background!
The Korean manufacturer has provided a special cee’d SW, for use by St John Ambulance as a medical response vehicle.
The estate car has been modified for its new role, with suspension taken from the three-door pro_cee’d Sport, and the rear anti-roll bar further upgraded. There are also grippy 18-inch tyres for the circuit-based motor.
Under the bonnet, it uses a 1.6-litre turbodiesel, believe it or not. But a K&N filter and modified electronics boost power to 142bhp.
The medical model can be spotted by its MSA graphics, plus high-intensity blue and white LED lighting. There is also an emergency siren and PA system.
The Kia will be one of 22 ambulances, eight First Aid Posts, four cycle responders, one doctor, three paramedics and 120 First Aid personnel on duty each day, with St John providing support for the on-site hospital which is open throughout the race meeting.
The SW Medical Car will be crewed by a doctor and paramedic for the whole weekend, providing vital emergency medical facilities wherever needed in the circuit or, due to the local traffic restrictions, to the nearby villages.
Once the British Grand Prix weekend is complete, the SW Medical Car will be ‘on duty’ as a track use Medical Response Unit at circuits and events around the UK, including high profile events at Castle Combe and Silverstone.
