We’re big fans of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N hot hatch, because it’s about the most fun you can have in an EV. Fake gears, 10-second bursts of extra power, and a drift mode, all sound like gimmicks, but together they make for one engaging hot hatch. But what if the 5 N was turned up to 11?
Enter the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup race car. It keeps the production 5 N’s battery and motors – so it’s still good for 641hp. But out goes anything superfluous, and in comes a roll cage, a racing seat, slicks, and a whole lot of aero add-ons. Weight goes down 10 percent, grip goes way up.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
No turbos, no hybrids, just a 9,500rpm V12: Behold, the new Ferrari 12 Cilindri
Review: 2024 Mitsubishi Triton GLS 4x2
All the novel gimmicks – like N Drift Optimiser – are gone, because this is a focused race car. Yet at the same time, Hyundai wants this to be an affordable race car, so prices will start under €100,000 (around P6,000,000 at current conversion rates).
It’s starting a one-make championship in Korea, too, and it’ll be a live test-bed as Hyundai hopes to find a path towards making electric racing fun. Teams will be able to choose the sound their cars make, and taking an idea from gaming, race officials can punish you mid-race with less power for over-aggressive driving.
Will it work? Top Gear Magazine’s deputy editor, Ollie Kew, has been to find out so check out the video below.
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
