Hyundai’s new Veloster is certainly different-looking, but’s hardly more exciting to drive than an Elantra. Hoping to boost its sport compact cred at next month’s SEMA show, Hyundai has enlisted the help of a tuner called ARK Performance to dress its odd duck with a parts-catalog worth of rally-inspired show and go bits.
Under the hood, ARK strapped a twin-scroll turbocharger to the Veloster’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine heating things up to 210 hp. While this application is pure aftermarket, we expect to see similar results once Hyundai unleashes it’s own factory-blown Veloster sometime next year.
A coil-over suspension, improved control arms, front and rear sway bars, and a front strut tower brace should help to sharpen the car’s reflexes and improve roadholding. Stopping power is increased thanks to ARK’s big brake kit, which includes a pair of six-piston calipers for the front. Outside, matte grey and ecto green paint cover the car’s wide-body transformation, which includes a wide-mouthed front fascia, flared fenders, new side skirts, a spoiler bolted to the hatch, and four polished exhaust tips shooting out the back. Because no rally car is complete without one, the interior features a rally-style roll-cage. And because no SEMA car is complete without it, Alcantara wraps nearly every surface to be found.
Usually, hot-rodded SEMA cars aren’t indicative of any actual production plans from manufacturers; in fact, many cars that appear at the show are there trying to overcome a perception of performance and fun. (See: Honda’s fleet of slammed Insights last year, for example.) Let’s hope this one’s a bit different.
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