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We Drive Hyundais Mid-Engine Supercar Concept! The Veloster N RM19 Hits the Nurburgring

With the decade coming to a close, we can look back at a steady climb from bargain-basement econoboxes, built under license from Mitsubishi , to Hyundai s own homegrown luxury brand, Genesis , whose G70 was our 2019 Car of the Year . This trend of consistent learning and improvement impresses the hell outta me. All of which was heightened by the offer of an American-exclusive drive of a supercar concept around the Nrburgring. The anticipation was enhanced by the involvement of one Albert Biermann, famously poached from leading BMW s M division in an aggressive move by Hyundai to become world-class in the go-fast category. --> When a project like this gets the green light, its go like a fire hose. As we were escorted through the Hyundai motorsports facilities outside Frankfurt, I could see that clearlyindicated by rows of perfectly clean workshop stalls, a few half-built racers, and some customer cars, all of which Stefan Henrich of Hyundai Motorsport PR proudly said were mostly built right there. You know what Hyundai means when translated into English? he asked. Modern. Well, these premises certainly exuded that. Hyundai has become a major force on the international World Rally Championship scene, winning regularly, twice coming a close second for the title, and still vying for its first championship. The videos are thrilling, with Hyundai i20 rally cars sailing through the air for half a football field. The suspensions are incredible; they just soak it up like a Baja Trophy Truck. On the pavement circuit side, Hyundai scored a championship with the i30 N for driver Gabriele Tarquini, a name I was shocked to hear. That Tarquini, who has raced touring cars since back in the 90s. After the orientation video and walking tour, Hyundai minder Derek Joycethe epitome of the California sandy-haired surfer, with a proclivity to call everyone dudedrove me to a striking glass-and-chrome edifice, just across the street from the Ring. Hyundai has created a European Test Center here, right in the heart of global automotive high performance. But I keep glancing over my shoulder at that legendary swath of asphalt. What shall we thrash over its 12.9 miles today? As we approach the beautifully detailed and classy modernist structure, we notice a film crew out front, along with what appears to be a Veloster, sporting the unique blue of Hyundais N cars. But the closer we get, the meaner the car lookslike seeing fangs and claws sprouting on your neighbors dog. I expected something more like a Lamborghini in profile; could this be our promised supercar? Have I been bait-and-switched? A massive diffuser juts out of the rear, mirroring the shadowing wing above. Flares auger out from the sides, blending into a similarly sprawling splitter round the front. Huge tires fill the wheelwells, but wait what the heck? Arent the rears wider? By a lot? And are those intakes in the rear window areas? Could it be? Peering into the back seat, I wonder, What hath Albert Biermann wrought? Why, theres an engine back there. Holy R5 Turbo! Theyve transplanted the drivetrain 4 feet aft. Questions fill my head. What transmission? What suspension? What power? Most of all why? Although Hyundai VIPs and execs from all over are present, there are only two journalists: myself and a chap from the U.K. Biermann is beaming like a proud papa with a newborn baby, which is pretty much what he is right now. This is the RM19, and, yes, there were RMs numbered 1 through 18, but this is the first Ive seen. And there will be more We ferry over to a makeshift pit lane, where the Nordschleife cuts off from the modern Grand Prix circuit and dives into its sinuous beginning. This Frankenstein-swapped Veloster is looking very racy, and Im going to get to do some laps. There are also a couple very streety looking mid-engine, rear-drive competitors lined up for us: a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS and a Renault Alpine A110 . Im in the Cayman first, working hard to revive memories of the tracks 73 turns. The Porsche is the joy we know it to be: impressive power from the coarse-sounding turbo-four, absorbing the rough surface with a trustworthy balance and precise responses, PDK in Sport Plus, always in the proper gear. Next is the Alpine, light and quick and very lightly damped. It has surprising brake dive and a scary tendency toward snap oversteer when entering a turn aggressively. Its a bit of a wild pony, threatening to justify that Green Hell nickname. On to the star of this show, the Veloster N of Angry Purpose, accompanied by a brave young engineer who says hes honored to meet me. Hope he feels that way whenifwe get back. No rules, just go for it and see what you think. The track is all ours, no tourist traffic, a rare pleasure, and theres beautiful, sunny weather all the way around, just as rare. As we leave the pits, the car demands a lot of clutch slip. The engine is lazy at low revs, quite unlike the street N car. The ratio in first is quite tall, and theres loud gear whine. It has a racing sequential transmission, with paddle shifters needing no further declutching. The car is so wide that I worry Ill clip those fat fenders off each side as I slip through the narrow opening onto the Mother of All Circuits, feeling very much like Im leaving the grid for a competition. After a considerable wait for the boost, the Veloster takes off hungrily, and Im paddling gears: bang , bang , bang . Going for the brakes into the first of many corners, the pedal is too long and theres not enough bite. But, oh, the steering. The low polar moment of the mid-mounted drivetrain mass allows the car to change direction with so little resistance. Its a very satisfying driving experience, like taking off your boots and running barefoot in the grass. Liberating. And Im only in the first turn. Back on the throttle, and theres another long wait for thrust; turbo lag is significant. By the time its finally wound up, its nearly time to shift. Loud and raucous, its a fast and furious feeling. Decreasing-radius corners that are tricky in the Alpine are not so in the RM19. This chassis is really well tied down. No twitchiness, but I feel like were cheating here. The Hyundai has a lot of race prep, though its not harsh. Im politely warned that only two of these specials exist, but after just a few twisty German-strudel esses, Im not concerned. This is a very well-behaved chassis. No dicey reactions, just straight and true corner entries. Although many mid-engine setups rotate too quickly, this one tames its low polar moment, sending no warning signals, unlike the hyperactive Renault. The Porsche is also a sweetheart, but with a much more comfort-oriented, streetable setup. Hyundai has the shock damping really dialed in, preventing any roll oversteer and putting power to the ground very well, even on its pure street Pirelli P Zeros. The gs generated on non-track tires are impressive, especially at high speeds, which there are a lot of. The mega-aero rivals that of GT3 racers as it hugs the track at 100-plus mph. My engineer passenger is giving two thumbs up. Im really into it, though I feel a little soft-pedal brake fade entering the Carousel. I love the chassis, but the brakes could use more bite and less heat. Hyundai can still learn from Porsche. The engine is rated for about 380 horses, but the lag is disconcerting. Still, the turbo and wastegate squeaks and whistles are music to my left ear from that intake in the rear window. Hyundai hints that a hybrid variant could be in the wings, but what Im driving right now is a very hyperactive turbo-four. We flirt with 260 kph on the long straight, and Im doing the math in my head. Lessee, 0.62 times 260 cant right now but I know 100 is 62, so 200 is 124, so 60 more klicks would be another 40 or so equals 160 plus boy, this is a long straight. And then Just keep it flat around that kink, my engineer says. Really? OK! After our romp around the Ring, we take the RM19 on some winding little farm roads. Again, the Hyundai is a delight, exhibiting a firm, sporty ride without punishing the passengers. And its so controllable that stability nannies arent even necessary. If I flip the paddles and keep the turbo on the boil, the lag isnt a bother. We venture to an ideal no-limit autobahn spur to nowhere, and I pin the gas and achieve my personal public highway record of 280 kph (173 mph)this in spite of high-drag wings, flares, and splitter. The power is there, its just lazy in its response. After the drive, I ask Herr Biermann the purpose of this exercise, besides the fun of creating a crazy-cool sleeper hot rod. Its a rolling laboratory, he says. If thats the case, then I sincerely hope the mid-engine balance Hyundai has created here finds its way into a production car. It could easily handle far more power in this configurationand theres a twin-turbo V-6 in the company lineup. Could something like this make production? With a wink, Biermann doesnt rule it out. Hyundai has decided its products need to be more fun . To be clear, the RM cars are studies. Likely a 380-hp Veloster wont be in dealerships anytime soon. But peel away the sheetmetal, and what lies underneath could be the basis for something ferocious. How amazing that would be for us enthusiasts, though Biermann does say the form of propulsion hasnt been decided. Its a changing energy world, and Hyundai seems to be looking at the options. Expect a lot more as the relentless march toward the better rolls on. The post We Drive Hyundais Mid-Engine Supercar Concept! The Veloster N RM19 Hits the Nurburgring appeared first on MotorTrend .

http://www.motortrend.com/news/hyundai-veloster-n-rm19-review-mid-engine-supercar-preview/

 

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