Hyundai RM19 Mid-Engine Sports Car Hiding Under Veloster N TCR Bodywork

Hyundai continues the development of the upcoming mid-engine car for 2021 and these spy shots taken on the Nürburgring Nordschleife prove it.

The wide-body test mule based on a street-legal Hyundai Veloster TCR (it has license plates) was spotted testing its mid-engine layout on the “Green Hell.” How do we know it has the engine placed just behind the passenger compartment? Well, those massive air intakes placed on the rear side windows are a dead giveaway.

The rest of the car looks identical to the Hyundai Veloster N TCR racer, and the vehicle even features Hyundai Motorsport livery.

Hyundai’s Project RM (Racing Midship) started in 2012 and used existing models to enable performance tests of the mid-ship layout without the use of camouflage. Since then, Hyundai has shown three concepts: RM14, RM15, and RM16.

Next in line is the RM19, which the automaker is testing here under the cover of the Veloster N TCR bodywork. We suspect that this latest iteration of the mid-engined concept features an evolution of the 2.0-liter T-GDI engine from the RM16 Concept.

In the latter vehicle, the engine was assisted by an electric supercharger and delivered 300 PS (296 hp) and 383 Nm (282 lb-ft) of torque. The engine was linked to a six-speed manual transmission that drove the rear wheels via an electronic limited slip differential (e-LSD).

We don’t know whether the RM19 features a conventional manual transmission, though. As the following spy video courtesy of EMS Nordschleife TV reveals, the gearshifts are really fast, indicating the presence of a sequential racing transmission or a dual-clutch automatic.

Since the Veloster N TCR features a sequential manual and a 2.0-liter turbo-four rated at 354 PS (350 hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque, the RM19 probably uses the same powertrain. It could be assisted by an electric motor, given Hyundai’s recent agreement with EV propulsion specialist Rimac.

Also read: Hyundai And Kia Team Up With Rimac To Make An Electric Mid-Engine Sports Car

Given the name, we expect the RM19 concept to debut sometime this year, as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The production model will arrive later as a performance halo car of the Hyundai N sub-brand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjecPr0OtU8