[Video] Hyundai’s first WRC car sounds incredible | GRR
As the 2023 Monte Carlo rally is almost upon us, we’re passing by the hours of waiting by watching hours of classic WRC action, including this: the Hyundai Accent WRC car that competed in the premier rally championship from 2000-2003.
This was Hyundai’s first foray into motorsport, and after two years of testing the waters in the World Rally Cup, a junior series to the WRC, the brand made the move to the top level. The car it had built was the one we see in this video, the Hyundai Accent WRC, a rally car based on the Accent family saloon.
It was powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine pushing out around 300PS (220kW), and while it never won a rally, or even made the podium, it still sounds absolutely spectacular. The cars from that early-2000s era were a buzz of turbo whistle and exhaust overrun, and it makes these cars so spectacular even when they aren’t travelling particularly fast.
Hyundai has since become one of the most successful manufacturers in the WRC since its return to the sport in 2014, but it was these early years that laid the foundation, along with the Castrol-liveried Accent WRC.
Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the previous video: This Tamiya model looks more complicated than an actual car