I never expected that in my lifetime, I would want a Hyundai. I’ve driven four in my lifetime: a 1988 Excel three-door hatch that fogged mosquitoes out with all of the burned oil, a 1989 Sonata that looked like a meth-lab refugee and could not go over 40 MPH, a 1992 Scoupe Turbo that was peppy enough but, like the Excel, was a rolling violation of numerous environmental laws, and a rental-car 2007 Elantra that I know for a fact will do 140 MPH but had all the appeal of gray Play-Doh. Even today, where Hyundais have surpassed their quality issues from the past, there really isn’t one that would appeal to me, not even the overloaded Equus.

Then a couple of days ago the pictures of what appeared to be a mid-engined Veloster hit the internet, and the first thought in my head was “Group B”. Cars like the Renault 5 Turbo, Lancia Delta Integrale HF, and Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 were running the same hatchback-sleeper wild child vibe, and if any part what we were seeing was true, I’d openly accept it without question. At the Seoul Motor Show, Hyundai dropped the veil and showed off the car in it’s finished concept form, the Hyundai RM15. As expected, the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder is set where the rear seats of a Veloster used to be, producing 296hp@6000 RPM and 282 ft/lbs @ 2000 RPM. Running through a six-speed manual, the RM15 runs 0-100 KPH in 4.7 seconds.It’s also lighter than a Veloster, using an aluminum core structure and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body panels to shed 430 lbs., bringing the curb weight to 2,778 lbs. With a 43/57 weight distribution, the handling is improved over a standard Veloster, as well.

With hot hatches entering the market at a good clip and the Subaru WRX still sitting as the leader of the rally rockets, now would be a good time for Hyundai to try something on the good side of insane. It takes a lot to get us wound up for anything Hyundai, but if this formula isn’t screwed with and it came over like this, the noise it makes wouldn’t matter. Build it and sell it, Hyundai, just for the hell of it. You can even do a limited production run and call it a “homologation special”.