Custom Hyundai Tiburon - Featured Imports

At first you see it in the rear-view mirror; the red flash coming up quickly. The car is definitely sporting a wide-body kit because it takes up almost every inch of the lane next to you. The custom HID lights blind you temporarily but, after your eyes readjust, you notice the large A'PEXi GT-Spec front-mount intercooler occupying the large opening in the front bumper. From there, your eyes roll up to the carbon-fiber hood and that's when you think to yourself, "Another damned modified Honda."

The car pulls up next to you but you make every attempt not to see or look at the driver. You hear the red car's engine idling and there's a slight, throaty, grumbling sound. "I'm going to light this guy up," you think to yourself, as you rev your engine a couple of times. The light turns green; you pop the clutch and hammer the accelerator to the floor. It looks like you've taken him off the line. Your adrenaline is rushing as you mash the gearbox into second. Suddenly, you notice a speck of red in the far right corner of your windshield. It grows larger and larger until you realize that the car is pulling on you--pulling hard.

By the time you get into third gear, you can see the entire side of the car. It looks nice, but you don't want to give it any credit because it's currently kicking your ass and saving your bones for dessert. The Ferrari Red PPG paint, covered in a graphics scheme provided by Vinyl Mayhem, is quickly blending into the fast-moving landscape as the car accelerates away from you as if you were moving in reverse. Your eyes catch the curves of the rear fenders and you notice they are molded on; this happens at the same moment you notice the 18x9.5-in. BBS RS-GT rims wrapped in BF Goodrich G-Force rubbers tucked underneath the fenders.

Finally, the guy you're racing is so far in front of you that you can see the entire rear end of the his very bright-red car. The first thing you notice is the C-West rear upper spoiler, then the A'PEXi N1 exhaust outlet. You're getting beat badly and it's not funny anymore. As you let off the gas, you see it staring you right in the face--that ubiquitous "H" emblem. But something is wrong; the "H" you see isn't the standard "Red H." This one appears to be rounder, and slanted to the right, as if someone italicized the sticker. And that's when it hits you, "I just got beat by a Hyundai."

We'll give you some credit, though. It's not just any old Hyundai; this is a 2002 Tiburon. And while its factory horsepower rating comes in at 134 hp from a 2.0-liter inline four, there is an available 2.7-liter V6 rated at 170 hp. Well, if you're hoping you got beat by a modified turbocharged V6 so you could justify your loss to your friends, think again. This particular car, belonging to A'PEXi USA in Orange, Calif., is the four-cylinder version. But again, to make things fair, it was put together by the "Ambiguously Wrenching Duo" (AWD) at A'PEXi R&D--Jenson Oda and Lanny Higa.

Built as a project car sponsored by Hyundai, the first item to be installed by the AWD was a custom N1 Exhaust system. Because the car was slated to be turbocharged, the Duo wanted to make sure they had the maximum volume of exhaust flow. Next on the installation checklist were the A'PEXi N1 Type Pro oil-filled coilovers, specially designed to withstand the abuse of N1 endurance racing. With those two items in order, work on the turbocharging system and related components began.

The custom kit utilizes an A'PEXi AX53 turbine mated to a manifold designed and constructed by both Jenson and Lanny. The manifold was coated with a special ceramic material for improved heat dissipation and resistance to the elements, then jigged to a custom downpipe that received the same treatment. Intake duties are handled by an A'PEXi Power Intake and cooled through an A'PEXi intercooler core. While the car doesn't have a particular race venue or series in mind, the use of an A'PEXi N1 fuel pump was required to handle the increased fuel demand.

If you were wondering how this car managed to kick your ass so badly, it should be more than readily apparent by now.

To orchestrate the underhood symphony, the AWD installed the entire A'PEXi catalog of electronics in the Tiburon. First, the digital versions of the S-AFC fuel controller and the AVC-R boost controller were wired in, followed by the next generation RSM Rev/Speed Meter and Auto Timer. The entire A'PEXi EL II gauge lineup--boost pressure, EGT, oil pressure, water temperature, fuel pressure and tachometer--was installed in various locations within the stock gauge cluster, A/C vents, center console and the trick gauge pod crafted and designed by Lanny. Fabricated from chrome-moly tubing and machined aluminum, the gauges are held firmly in place with stainless-steel set screws.

Taking the speed potential of the Tiburon into consideration, a custom chrome-moly four-point rollbar was installed by Design Craft Engineering. From there, a Sparco 2-in. four-point racing harness is connected to hold the driver in the Sparco Torino seats. Other Sparco amenities include a steering wheel (mated to a Shark Racing wheel hub adapter) and shift knob.

Much like a lot of the parts installed in this so-called street car, the aftermarket brake system had to be modified to fit the Hyundai. In order to slow the car down from its extreme speed jaunts, a set of 15-in. Wilwood rotors, originally slated for duty on a Subaru WRX, were modified and installed by the AWD. The rotor hats were redrilled and machined to fit custom-made caliper brackets and spacers. A complete set of Wilwood's stainless-steel brake lines finishes out the stopping parts.

Finishing up the rest of the car completely is the job of the Shark Racing wide-body kit, sprayed with several coats of PPG Ferrari Red by Car Prep in Fountain Valley, Calif. The rear fenders were molded in by the boys at Car Prep to keep the bodylines clean and mean. Finally, an HID headlight kit from Shark Racing keeps the road ahead nice and bright.

With every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Where once Honda was king, there are now dozens of manufacturers clamoring for the "King of the Import Manufacturers" title. What better tuners to help achieve this goal than the Ambiguously Wrenching Duo at A'PEXi R&D, and what better nameplate to take the title with than the wicked red-headed stepchild of the "H" family--Hyundai.