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Video: Hyundai Tests RWD, Rear-Engined Hot Hatch

Do you remember the esteemed Renault Clio V6? It was possibly one of the most unique and appealing cars to not only come from Renault, but France as a whole. It was wider than the standard car, it had contrasting R8-like inlets either side, and these inlets fed the air hungry V6 sat behind the driver’s seat.

There was something about the car that oozed hilarity and insanity, yet on driving the car, testers realised it wasn’t that much faster than the Clio 172. But although I am yet to drive it, I doubt this took from the experience of such a whacky vehicle.

Hyundai has been teasing something similar for years. And with Albert Biermann joining the team and bringing his BMW M car experience, I didn’t think it would be too much longer until we saw this idea come to fruition. Thankfully, I don’t feel that stupid, as a new Hyundai has just been spotted on the Nurburgring.

It has a rear/mid-engined layout and looks to be based on the Veloster to an extent. It has similar side intakes and a turbocharger hiss. It’s rumoured that the power unit will be a 2.0-litre 4-cylinfer, with horsepower approaching the 300 mark similar to the i30N.

Of course, this new car will be donned by the N badge, which stands for Nanyang, so will be called the RM16N. I’l be waiting with bated breath to see what comes of this car.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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