Kia has turned a sculptor's medium into a sports tribute. The automaker built a full-size, non-drivable clay version of its EV4 GT hatchback using soil collected from the clay courts where Rafael Nadal won his record 63 singles titles.

The piece was handed to Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, marking a partnership that began when he was still a teenage prospect on the Spanish circuit.

The sculpture keeps the EV4 GT's five-door hatchback proportions intact, but swaps paint and metal for clay pulled from courts in Monte Carlo, Paris, Rome and Madrid. White automotive design tape runs across the orange-red surface, standing in for the lines of a tennis court.

Etched into the body are the numbers that built Nadal's reputation as the King of Clay: his 63 clay-court singles titles, a run of 50 consecutive sets won on the surface, and the five seasons he finished ranked world number one. The sculpture also bears his signature, turning a design exercise into a personal keepsake.

Kia says those markings belong strictly to this one-off piece and will never reach the production EV4 GT. Clay modeling itself is standard practice in vehicle design. It lets engineers judge surfaces and proportions by hand before a car ever reaches digital tooling or a wind tunnel.

Soohang Chang, president and CEO of Kia Europe, tied the gesture directly to the brand's long read on Nadal's career. Chang said in a statement:

'Rafael's determination and resilience have inspired tennis players and fans around the world, and those values have been central to our partnership since 2004.'

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