Lately, Hyundai hasn’t been holding anything back in its efforts to build up a little extra performance cred. Late last month at the Paris Motor Show, we got a look at the RN30, a race-ready hatchback based on the i30 that’s simply begging for a street-legal production model. With the Paris Motor Show now come and gone, the South Korean brand is shifting its focus to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show. Last week, we got our first taste of what Hyundai will be bringing to the desert with the absurdly awesome Santa Fast by Bisimoto, and now, it appears as though there’ll be a modded Veloster hatchback in attendance as well. This latest creation is simply called the Veloster Concept by Gurnade, and it’s got a slew of upgrades that are sure to please the SEMA crowd, including a slammed stance, custom exterior styling, and a few extra ponies under the hood.

In case you were unaware, Gurnade is an automotive design and concept rendering company based out of Austin, Texas. “Gurnade has always been drawn to the uniquely aggressive lines of the production Veloster. So when Hyundai approached us with the opportunity to develop one of their vehicles for SEMA, we didn’t hesitate to create the Gurnade Veloster Concept,” says Joshua Cloud, owner of Gurnade, Inc.

As you might expect, the Veloster Concept is primarily focused on show over go, but it’s still an interesting package for fans of the South Korean brand’s sporty little three-door. Read on for all the details.

Continue reading to learn more about the Hyundai Veloster Concept By Gurnade.

2016 Hyundai Veloster Concept By Gurnade

Specifications
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  • Model: 2016 Hyundai Veloster Concept By Gurnade
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Pros
Cons

Exterior

After drafting up the look it wanted for the Hyundai Veloster Concept, Gurnade turned to the aftermarket and custom auto shops to make it a reality.

Like any proper show car, the Concept uses a wide body to give it an appropriately aggressive aesthetic. To help plump it to just the right width, Lightner Motorsports stepped in with some custom fender flares, broadening the hatchback considerably with touring car-inspired touches in the corners. Lightner Motorsports also provided new front grille, which replaces the shiny surround and broad slats of the stock piece with a fine, blacked-out mesh.

Completing the look up front are custom headlights and fog lights from Cappelletti Design, while Tippett Auto Design provides a vented bumper cover.

But of course, no show car would be complete without a fair dose of composite material. As such, the Veloster Concept uses carbon fiber components for the front spoiler, side skirts, and rear garnish, courtesy of EPR. ARK Performance was utilized for its carbon fiber rear spoiler, while a new carbon fiber hood and hatch from Seibon round out the weight savings.

Finally, PPG Refinish draped the whole thing in Magic Magenta paint, which is shielded from the elements thanks to InShane Design paint protection. Filling the enormous wheel wells are 19-inch Rotiform OZT wheels, sporting three-piece forged construction and a bronze finish.

Clearly, the Concept is all about showing off, and in that respect, it definitely has the potential to turn some heads. In particular, I like the color scheme, as it offers the showiness you’d expect, but without resorting to a hue in the pass-my-sunglasses-please spectrum.

The body upgrades are also well thought out, complementing the stock car’s lines without completely reworking them. I’m less of a fan of the slammed stance, but hey – this is SEMA, and a nickel-scrapping posture is pretty much required for entry.

Interior

Note: Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec pictured here.

Although we have yet to see any actual pictures of the cabin, we do have a good idea what to expect when this thing debuts in Las Vegas.

Starting things off are additional race-inspired goodies, which complement the aggressive exterior mods with all the usual bits and pieces. The stock seats were tossed in favor of Cobra’s highly bolstered Nogaro racing buckets, which work with Takata racing harnesses to secure passengers firmly in place. Pierce Motorsports provides the harness mounting points with a custom roll cage, while the driver grabs a SoCal Garage Works steering wheel made from carbon fiber.

Per car show tradition, these track-only upgrades are combined with a series of parts that have no place on a racing circuit, but do make this thing grab even more eyeballs on the street. Included are Glowshift gauges and an LEDGlow lighting kit, while surplus sound comes by way of a Creative Car-Tunes audio system, Phoenix Gold sub and amp, and Stinger audio wiring.

Running a roll cage on the street is dangerous, and falling into a fixed-back bucket seat and strapping into a race harness every time you want a quart of milk is annoying, which makes this cabin a weird combination with the glow kits and boosted audio system. But then again, the Veloster Concept will probably never be driven, so I guess as a showpiece, it’s permissible.

Drivetrain

Note: Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec pictured here.

In stock form, the Hyundai Veloster boasts a front-mounted 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine, which produces upwards of 201 turbocharged horsepower. Routing the muscle to the front axle is either a six-speed manual transmission, or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

To this solid framework, the Veloster Concept adds some basic performance upgrades. Providing the go-faster parts is 845 Motorsports, a Hyundai performance specialist based out of Port Jervis, New York.

Helping the Veloster breathe easier is a new downpipe and cold-air intake, while an upgraded front-mount intercooler keeps the boost nice and dense. Making fun noises out back is a cat-back exhaust from ARK Performance, while neato swooshing noises up front are made by a Synapse blow-off valve. Making the most of the parts is a custom ECU tune by 845 Motorsports.

No official power gains were announced, but if I were to guess, I’d say there’s probably an extra 20-30 horsepower on tap. Which isn’t really a whole lot when compared to insane creations like the Santa Fast, but again, this isn’t a race car. It’s about looking good, and if a few extra ponies come along for the ride, then who can complain?

Note: Hyundai Veloster Turbo R-Spec pictured here.0}

Making the lithe little three-door handle is a MacPherson strut suspension setup in front, and a V-torsion beam setup in the rear. Setting the proper ride height are NEO Motorsports coilovers, which drop the body straight to the pavement. NEO Motorsports also helps it stop thanks to a big brake kit with 6-piston calipers.

Pierce Motorsports was also called upon for its suspension upgrades, which include a new strut bar, rear torsion bar, and tie brace. Finally, the tires you see stretched across those slick three-piece wheels are from Toyo, in an unspecified “competition-spec” compound.

Like the powertrain, the chassis and suspension upgrades are more about show than go, but at least there’s something under the skin to complement that handsome exterior styling.

Chassis And Handling

The Hyundai Veloster Concept by Grunade is the latest in a long line of SEMA-bound concepts and special editions, with past examples including the Re:Mix Gaming Veloster from 2011, and the JP Edition Veloster from 2012. Beyond SEMA, further upgraded Velosters include the Veloster Zombie Survival Machine from the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, and the Re:Flex Edition that debuted at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show.

Long story short, Grunade’s concept isn’t alone, with plenty of other hands massaging the hatch into something different and new. Which begs the question – what’s special about this one?

Well, the look is unique, with a nice assortment of styling upgrades rounding out the exterior package. However, the powertrain and interior are less impressive, and I would have liked it if the Grunade Concept spent a little more time in other areas to make for a more rounded approach. Some real power to pair with the show stuff would be a good place to start.

That said, this thing will surely look good at SEMA.