No one asked for a 700-hp turbo Hyundai Tucson, but they brought one to SEMA anyway (pictures)
Hyundai and Bisimoto Engineering build a tremendous turbocharged Tucson crossover, and that's just the first of the six customs the automaker's brought to the 2015 SEMA show.
LAS VEGAS -- 2015 marks Hyundai's 15th appearance at the SEMA Show here. To mark the occasion, the automaker presented six wild show cars -- three of which were based on the new Tucson compact crossover.
The first is a Hyundai Tucson tuned by Bisimoto Engineering's Bisi Ezerioha. The massive intercooler tucked into the grille opening hints at big turbo power.
Hyundai calls this the "brute ute" because it's the most powerful Hyundai Tucson ever. That may not sound like much when you consider the stock Tucson only makes 175 horsepower, but Bisi blows that out of the water with over 700 ponies.
The Bisimoto Tucson uses the stock "Theta II" 2.4-liter engine block, but upgrades all of the internals to deal with the boost of the massive Turbonetics BTX-6465 turbocharger.
This isn't Bisi's first dance with Hyundai. His tuning company has built four previous customs, including a 1,000-horsepower Genesis Coupe.
The interior and exterior get stylistic upgrades to match the outlandish engine.
Audio is provided by a 650-watt Infinity stereo system headed by a JBL receiver.
Hyundai brought two more tuned Tucsons to the show, including this Rockstar Performance Garage Tucson that's built for desert running.
The Rockstar Tucson gets an engine overhaul, a Turbonetics turbocharger upgrade and a full King suspension off-road setup. The suspension and the massive knobbly tires lift the ride height by 6 inches.
Six inches of lift maybe isn't enough to transform a Tucson into a rock crawler, but it certainly looks like it would be a blast ripping down a dirt trail.
For those who would rather savor their outdoor adventure, Hyundai and tuner John Pangilinan present the JP Edition 2016 Tucson Adventuremobile.
This army-green Tucson is outfitted for exploration with off-road suspension, auxiliary lighting and a Treeline Outdoors roof tent that sleeps two.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to test out the accomodations.
In addition to the essentials -- such as an upgraded Clarion Audio system -- the Adventuremobile has a hide-away tray in its storage area full of outdoorsy goodies.
Toyo Open Country A/T tires wrap Rays Gram Lights wheels, giving the Tucson sure footing for mild off-roading.
Beyond the Tucson Trio, Hyundai also showcased a pair of Genesis Coupes and a Veloster Turbo.
Ark Performance built this custom Genesis coupe for the show, stroking Hyundai's 3.8-liter V-6 to a full 4.0-liters and dropping a Rotrex supercharger on top.
Stroking an engine increases the distance the piston travels within the cylinder by swapping in a more aggressive crankshaft. This increases the displacement (the amount of air drawn during the intake cycle) of the engine and nets more power and torque, often at the expense of peak RPM.
The supercharger is able to make up for the compromises of stroking the engine and works well with the increased displacement. The Genesis now sends about 500 horsepower to its rear wheels.
A one-off Solus widebody kit was created for the Ark Genesis coupe, replacing nearly all of the lower body panels and giving it a lower, wider stance.
Hyundai states that its (and Ark's) goal was to blend luxury with performance for this custom, so the coupe's interior also gets a materials makeover.
Also outputting more than 500 horsepower is the Blood Type Racing Veloster Turbo R-Spec.
BTR uses the Veloster's stock 1.6-liter engine block with a high-boost turbocharger from Garrett to create massive power. Of course, the cylinder sleeves, pistons, connecting rods and other parts needed upgrading to handle the boost.
The Veloster puts its power to the front wheels, but has wide 19 by 9.5-inch SSR wheels shod in Toyo Proxes R888 tires at all four corners.
Carbon black paint and a carbon fiber wide body kit punctuate the sinister, asymmetrical hatchback.
Finally, there's the Tjin Edition Roadshow Genesis coupe, featuring a custom Axalta green paint job. Photos do this hue no justice.
Tjin Edition, along with Bisimoto, is one of those names that is nearly synonymous with the import-tuning scene at SEMA. So, it's no surprise that the two collaborated on this coupe.
Bisimoto provided the engine bay know-how, using a Vortech supercharger to coax -- you guessed it -- "over 500 horsepower" from Hyundai's 3.8-liter "Lambda" V6 engine.
Tjin then steps in with the form to go with the increased function. The wheel wells are filled with a set of crazy looking Rotiform 19-inch, three-piece HUR wheels wrapped in Falken tires as low-profile as rubber bands.
LEDs upgrade the lighting all around. Meanwhile, the stock headlamp assemblies are replaced by sculpted LightWurkz clusters with color-matched green accents.
The front lip, trunk lid and rear spoiler are all custom pieces made special for the Tjin Edition Genesis coupe.
Keeping the driver safe are a Baer Performance brake upgrade and a custom fabricated roll cage.
In addition to marking 15 years at SEMA, Hyundai was also celebrating two other achievements. The first is its new status as the official automobile sponsor of the National Football League, commemorated by this gold-wrapped Tucson.
Hyundai is also nearing its 30th year in the US and recently reached a milestone of 10 million vehicles sold.