Hyundai N Boss Brands Nurbugring Records A "Waste Of Time"
There must have been the temptation to give the I30 N - Hyundai’s first hot hatch - a silly, 300bhp+ power figure. Perhaps make a limited-run, stripped out version on sticky tyres. And send it around the Nurburgring to chase after the Honda Civic Type R’s Nurburgring record. But the Korean firm’s newly established N offshoot wants to do things differently.
Talking to Road and Track at the Detroit Auto Show, N boss Albert Biermann - formerly of BMW’s M Division - insisted the fresh performance brand is more interested in producing cars for fun rather than out-and-out-capability.
“If you’re going for lap times, the aero settings are different, the suspension setting is different…it’s not as enjoyable,” he said.
Not terribly surprising - Hyundai likes to make a big deal about what it refers to as a “BPM not RPM” approach. But Biermann went much further in his comments, having a pop at the concept of Nurburgring lap records. “There are companies that spend like five months at the Nurburgring, with tons of people. For that amount [of money] we can almost develop a whole car. It’s just a waste of time,” he said.
It also turns out Hyundai N might have come out with something more potent for its first car than the I30 N. And there could yet be something pokier to come from N. “We had prototype cars with more powerful engines and all-wheel drive and all kinds of stuff,” Biermann said, before adding, “Is there room for a higher level? We need to learn with this car first.”
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
i understand his point of view
maybe they just want to build fun cars to drive thats all (for now at least)
I see the point, but it’s not always about being the fastest on the Ring; and rather to see how it fares compared to other cars.
James May approved!
My honest take
There are cars (such as supercars) designed to break lap records. Those cars use every single bit of engineering to make them faster
But also there are cars (like the i30N) designed to have fun, therefore making them too fast, might kill the fun in it.
I’d much rather buy a hot hatch developed on British B-roads than a race track in Germany.
Real-world performance cars should be developed in the real world.
people need to learn from this man
isnt this the same man that headed the division that made the M4 GTS and the M3 GTS?
cars that were quite literally BUILT FROM the nurburgring?
what the hell is Hyundai paying him to say this?
(not that i disagree, i 100% agree with him)
Yet the i30 N was developed on and named after said German race track…
For normal hot hatchbacks and sports cars, yes they are a total waste of time
But for cars built specifically for lap times like the Camaro ZL1 1LE or the AMG GTR there is certainly a reason for them to test cars at the ‘ring