GT SPORT: The birth of N

Since 2015, Hyundai commenced their little experiment to become a Korean take on Mercedes-AMG or BMW M Power, whatever it means, and that gave them the birth of their new brand called "N". Born in Namyang, Honed at Nurburgring, that's what N is made for and their newest experiment begins with a concept car like this.



It's Hyundai's entry to the Vision Gran Turismo project, that made its GT SPORT debut appearance.




This is the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo and while this is unheard for a Korean car company to present their little proposal to the producers of the Gran Turismo franchise, it's a stunning vision of what will race cars look like in the next decade and the ideal metaphor of Hyundai's little experiment to create its high-performance division of the company.



So, what is it about the N 2025, apart from being a metaphor for their little experiment? Well, since hybrids are taking over the motorsport world like the ones from Le Mans, the N 2025 features a race-derived hydrogren fuel cell system that combines zero emission ecology and raw performance that most racing machines get. Sure, the Koreans did all the fuel cell work in their home base but the Americans skillfully perfected it and as a result, the power output is about 871HP courtesy of its eco-friendly system that's optimally delivered through four high-powered independent in-wheel motors for better traction. Thanks to its CFRP monocoque structure, the power-to-weight ratio is beyond supercar reach and because of its low center of gravity and Independent In-wheel motor Drive Control, it's phenomenal to drive.



This particular N 2025 I'm driving in GT SPORT is not the N 2025 that was been winded up to the max. In fact, this is the Group 1 version of it and it was specially tuned to meet Group 1 regulations in the game, even the FIA GT Manufacturer Series you are planning to go for. It may have 200 less than the normal Gr.X version of the N 2025 race car but it still performs pretty much like it and you can thank its unbelievable aerodynamics playing a key role to this car as well as its 4WD system. Upon driving it, I had the slight intention that it might actually go wrong by ending up on a catastrophic understeer but no. It drives like an art and you can't really tell the difference between going fast and taking a corner because this Vision GT car is tad fantastic drive and talking about here, I managed to take a stroll with this Korean future racecar around the Nurburgring.

 

Since this is what the N stands for, let's see if the N 2025, albeit in Group 1 spec, is true to the saying that it was "Born in Namyang, Honed at Nurburgring" as what Hyundai claims. With all of the ingredients here, time to let this bad boy shine in the Green Hell.



And here we are, one hot lap on a Gr.1-spec Hyundai N 2025 Vision GT. I even managed to do a 6:46.113 lap time, which isn't bad for someone who thinks that I can't drive round corners without crashing like the other guy.



Thanks to concept cars like the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, this experiment has commenced and as a result, Hyundai made their first N car based on a global five-door hatchback and it was available to order in Mainland Europe, sadly Hyundai withdraw the idea of selling their first N car in South Korea, which is a shame for Koreans who are getting cranky over Hyundai's first N car. I'm sure they will change their minds someday and let's hope for the best that the N cars from Hyundai deserve a trip to Busan.