SEMA Preview: Rhys Millen and Hyundai team up on Genesis coupe
Click above for a high-res image of the RMR Hyundai Genesis coupe.
Hyundai is planning a big showing at this year's SEMA show, dispatching with orange Elantras and be-winged Accents in favor of highlighting the automaker's first foray into rear-wheel-drive performance. Six concepts are planned – three Genesis sedans and three Genesis coupes – with both vehicles getting the attention of the country's top aftermarket specialists.
Hyundai will be releasing teasers of the three Genesis coupe projects in the coming weeks, but the first is proof that the aftermarket is taking Hyundai's new turbocharged 2.0-liter coupe seriously. Rhys Millen Racing has rendered up its own interpretation of what the Genesis coupe is capable of, with an eye on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Formula D drift series and Redline time attack.
The RMR coupe will benefit from a prototype wide body kit and turbo setup, built in house by Rhys and his team, sending power to the rear wheels through an HKS heavy-duty sequential gearbox. Suspension duties are handled by a set of K&W coilovers, along with Enkei racing wheels and Bridgestone RE-01 tires. Brembo brakes are mounted fore and aft, and inside a Sparco steering wheel and seats join an carbon fiber dash and an eight-point roll cage.
According to Hyundai's PR man, Miles Johnson, Millen is making regular calls to Hyundai engineers to extract every last bit of performance from the coupe, and expect more details on final output and the other two coupes throughout the summer.
PRESS RELEASE
Hyundai teams up with Rhys millen racing to introduce genesis coupe at SEMA show
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., July 30, 2008 – Hyundai Motor America announced today that it has teamed up with Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to create the "Art of Speed" Genesis Coupe show car. The Hyundai RMR "Art of Speed" Genesis Coupe 2.0t will be on display at the Hyundai booth at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in the Las Vegas Convention Center from Nov. 4 – Nov. 7, 2008. The RMR Genesis Coupe will be the first of many Genesis Coupes to be modified by some of the best tuner shops in the world. This RMR – developed Genesis Coupe will be a fully functional race car capable of putting the driver in the winner's circle.
"The unique part of this project is that it will be moving art, which is why we named it the 'Art of Speed,'" says Rhys Millen, professional race driver and founder of RMR. "The focus will be on the engine and a radical body design to complement the factory body lines. We are going to transform the Genesis Coupe into an apex-carving machine with jaw-dropping looks. We think it has the possibility of being one of the coolest cars at the show."
The RMR Genesis Coupe will be powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with RMR turbo kit for maximum horsepower and torque. It will be equipped with a heavy-duty HKS sequential transmission and a K&W coil over suspension to put that additional power to the ground. These are just some of the planned mechanical modifications to turn the Genesis Coupe into a race car capable of running in the Pikes Pike Hill Climb, Formula D or Redline Time Attack series.
"We've been excited about working with Rhys Millen since the minute he walked through our doors at Hyundai Motor America," says John Krafcik, vice president, product development and strategic planning, Hyundai Motor America. "Genesis Coupe is a rear-wheel drive performance machine we designed to capture the hearts of hardcore automotive enthusiasts, so we can't wait to see Rhys' RMR Genesis Coupe on the race track."
The RMR Genesis Coupe will be outfitted in a silver and black paint scheme and dominated by a RMR wide body kit, functional hood scoop and a carbon fiber wing. Enkei racing wheels and Bridgestone Protenza RE-01 tires surrounding Brembo brake calipers complete the package.
Inside will be a racing cockpit with Sparco steering wheel and seats, eight-point roll cage and a RMR carbon fiber dash.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
imoore 1:12PM (7/30/2008)
I'm not a big fan of tuners, but i do like this car. Look out Mustang, Camaro and Challenger, Hyundai is catching up, and fast.
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Franz 1:16PM (7/30/2008)
Should be interesting. RMR knows how to build good cars.
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Kumail 1:17PM (7/30/2008)
i would prefer it if they blacked out the headlights instead of having that highlighter yellow.
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HotRodzNKustoms 2:25PM (7/30/2008)
Then they wouldn't work. Racers do like being able to see the road when driving at night.
chungdaniels 1:19PM (7/30/2008)
wow that is really sexy.. and i love how they kept the hyundai grill and logo. :D
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mike 1:20PM (7/30/2008)
I love everything about this car but the front, I would like it too look a little different.
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Seoultrain 1:21PM (7/30/2008)
I can't get very excited over a car where so much has been changed that the car is mechanically unrecognizable from the original. Most people will not put $20k into a $20k car. What's more important is how much power Hyundai left on the table. That is, can one net 50hp/50tq gains from a $500 reflash?
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azzo45 1:26PM (7/30/2008)
Sorry... I might be mixing up my Millens, but isn't Rhys Millen the factory driver for the PONTIAC Motorsports / Red Bull / D1 Drifting Solstice???
A few years ago the Petty family (Richard, Kyle & son Adam) wanted to race a Viper GTS-R at the Daytona 24 in 2000. Petty Enterprises had announced they would run Dodge Intrepids in 2001, but Pontiac raised a fuss.
The Petty's could have done it (they were leaving Pontiac anyway) but they wanted to honor their contract. Pontiac did not want Dodge getting PR fron GM supported drivers.
If GM had issues with Dodge... Im sure they would object to Hyundai???
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adrenalnjunky 1:48PM (7/30/2008)
Rhys Millen, the driver, may have a sponsorship - in that series, in that car. RMR the raceshop, even if solely owned by him, may not have the same contracts. Tony Stewart drove Chevy for Gibbs, but his personal dirttrack teams were running Mopar, then Gibbs swapped to Toyota, and Tony swapped his dirt teams to Chevy. Penske Races Toyotas in IndyCar, and Dodge in Nascar - with lagging sales and sponshorship/marketing budgets, I'm sure some of the big 3 are just glad to be getting what exposure they have.
adrenalnjunky 1:50PM (7/30/2008)
oops - Penske Honda in Indy I meant.
ryan 1:36PM (7/30/2008)
mmm, side exit exhaust. and good looking hood. i'll take one.
and i don't want to start a flamewar here, but i do have a question. does anybody else see a bit of current-gen subaru in the side? or am i on drugs today?
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Brad C 2:16PM (7/30/2008)
I didn't notice it before but now that you mention it, I looked and the roofline&windows sort of resembles the Subbie.
It'll be neat to see what the tuners can do with Hyundai.
By the way, I also see a bit of Infiniti G35/G37 in the front too.
s13hybrid 1:47PM (7/30/2008)
Bringing this car into motorsports (if it does well) will definitly make this car a winner for Hyundai. Hyundai is making some good moves in order to make a big splash in the automotive industry.
I am still not a big fan of the car, but I really hope it makes other automakers bring new things to the table in order to compete.
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Matt W. 2:23PM (7/30/2008)
I personally like the stylistic subtlety Millen logo.
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why not the LS2LS7? 2:32PM (7/30/2008)
It's cool and all, but having K&R announce springs and RMR doing a photoshop job on the car doesn't give that strong an indication that the car has arrived.
Also, how will this car have a functional hood scoop when it is turbocharged? Turbocharged cars don't take air in on top of the engine. I'm guessing it'll have a "functional" hood scoop in that it admits air but doesn't actually increase performance since the air then has to be routed across the top of the hot motor to get to the turbo.
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Michael 3:52PM (7/30/2008)
ls2ls7, it looks like a heat extractor hood, to remove hot air from the engine bay.
Bungle 2:37PM (7/30/2008)
Despite its low price and RWD layout, at a portly 3,500 lbs., I'm completely unexcited by the Genesis coupe. Just my opinion.
I think many of the "hardcore automotive enthusiasts" that Krafcik speaks of here might agree.
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mk 4:22PM (7/30/2008)
3500lbs isn't THAT bad.
Mustang GT is in that neighborhood, although GT500 gets much heavier.
Camaro and Challenger are closer to 4000lbs base.
G37 is better looking than the hyundai, but ~3700lbs.
There isn't a whole lot of RWD or real AWD anything at much less than ~3400lbs, unless you go to a dedicated small sports car, like Miata, Sol/Sky, and S2000. The Genesis coupe is significantly larger than those, with a coupe body, and 2+2 layout. Closer to the size of the Mustang, which is not a small coupe.
Bungle 5:00PM (7/30/2008)
Fair enough. I had considered its contemporaries, but I guess I was basing my weight expectations on the latest Tiburon, which comes in at about 2700-2800 lbs. I knew the Genesis was to be larger, and RWD would necessarily increase its weight as well, but I was hoping for low-3000's at the very most.
I've always been a low-weight fanatic, so there's some bias there. But, it irks me to see manufacturers continuously improve the power and efficiency of their engines, but do little to nothing to address the weight issue. The latter carries *many* more benefits across the board than simply increasing power. Now, 40 years past the advent of the muscle car era, we're right back to large 2-ton, high-horsepower behemoths. I'd much rather see a 200-250 hp, 2500 lb. car that could run circles around any modern muscle car with a similar power-to-weight ratio.
The arguments of lagging composite materials technology, high aluminum prices and the demand for modern conveniences and safety features are viable, but I still think there's a whole lot of room for improvement. Now that gas prices are where they are, a number of manufacturers are finally becoming motivated to reducing the weight of their vehicles, albeit not strictly for performance reasons.
I'm really excited to see what comes of the Nissan and Toyota/Subura RWD coupes - both are rumored to be aiming for low weight. If either can come in closer to 2500 lbs. than 3000 lbs., with just enough power to be moderately quick, I'll be a happy camper!
arturo 3:21PM (7/30/2008)
i think i just found the right car at the right price for me but why a hunday? in my taste the camaro is too big, so is the challenger,the mustang needs an update, the g37 is way off my purchasing power, same for the evo x. the soltice/sky are convertible which i pass. so can someone tell me what this car is being compare to?
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