500bhp Hyundai Veloster blasts off

By Jack Rix

10th February 2011

It's a Hyundai with 500 horsepower! The Korean manufacturer has teamed up with American firm Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to produce a rally-spec version of the Veloster coupe with eye-popping performance.

Each donor car is stripped back to its bare metal and stitch welded to increase its rigidity, before the body panels are replicated in kevlar-reinforced carbon-fibre - keeping weight down to just 1,205kg. There's also a wild rear wing, to provide downforce, and custom suspension with extra long travel to cope with jumps.

Under the hood is a specially tuned four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 500bhp and 814Nm of torque. No performance figures have been released, but expect them to be in a similar league to Ken Block's Gymkana Fiesta capable of 0-62mph in under two seconds. The interior has been stripped out and fitted with a safety cage and Sparco racing buckets.

Three cars are planned to be built. The first will be raced by Rhys Millen himself in the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship. A second four-wheel drive model will appear at the Summer X Games, while a third will be driven by celebrities in the two-wheel drive class of the U.S. Rallycross Championship.