By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

When the 2003 Tiburon came out, a lot of people noticed the not-so-subtle Ferrari 456 styling cues. Well, the folks at Galatea were inspired to develop a body kit to further enhance the “exotic look” of the humble FWD sport coupe. From the Galatea site:

The styling of the Hyundai’s midsection from the side view appears to be inspired most by other expensive Italian coupes. The Hyundai has the right design genes to look more like an expensive exotic car. The goal of the Galatea kit was to develop the exotic look even further, without giving the appearance of a car with a body kit. The lines of the new kit blend with the doors and roof for an overall design unity. This makes it look more like a new car, instead of a car that has been modified.

The kit, which includes front and rear end fiberglass parts, lights and hardware, runs $5,180. The car you see below was built for approximately $16,000, which includes the purchase price of the used Tiburon and new wheels. Worth it? What do you think? Galatea via Autoblog

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

There’s a lot of buzz about the new RWD Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but that car isn’t Hyundai’s first attempt at making an interesting car. I just found just saw this photo in the “pics of the day” thread on Ziptied had to share it here. This is the current generation Hyundai Tiburon and it has to be the coolest looking example ever. I don’t know much about it besides for the fact that it’s sporting some GTR-face TE37′s. The aero kit looks cool, but I have no idea who makes it. I’m assuming this photo was taken in Korea somewhere. Anyone have the scoop on this car?

By Mike Garrett

Most of the time, videos of autocross runs aren’t terribly exciting to watch, but this clip of Bill’s first place finish totally delivers. The perspective is just right, and there’s none of the jerky motion which can render otherwise awesome videos unwatchable. Head over to his page and check out some shots of his sweet ’03 Hyundai Tiburon on the track, and if you’re in a position to dole out a sponsorship, drop him a line. Congrats on the win Bill!

While this commercial is entertaining to watch, I have to say the idea that a 1996 Tiburon is going to outrun a couple of Porsches—the 911 and 928—and a Cobra rep is pretty far-fetched. But hey it’s fantasy, right?    

As everyone knows, today is Valentines Day. Bo-ring. It’s also the 40th anniversary of Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving. While I knew about the school, I never knew much about the man who founded it. What a bad-ass. Now I want to go even more. Here’s the news:

• Shots of the Tiburon replacement have leaked. While I’m not stoked Hyundai is branding it with numbers and letters—i35—instead of giving it a proper name, it looks sexy as hell. Just offer a V8, ok? AutoBlogStar via World Car Fans
• Nissan is investing in IT to make their dealer network run more efficiently. That sounds cool. Better than using technology to turn its halo car into a tattling nanny, anyway.  Automotive News
• Morgan still makes all of its cars by hand, on wood frames. But that hasn’t stopped the company  from looking forward. Check out the gorgeous hydrogen car it’s set to bring to Geneva. Wow. Wired
• If you drive a Hummer and have been wanting to make your machine even more offensive to tree-hugging hippies, this six-wheeled deal might be just the ticket. English Russia

By Jen

Editor

There was a crowd of eager reporters in the Hyundai booth, and some honcho talking about a big secret about to be revealed, and a lot of thanking of sponsors going on, and something to do with a 3.8L V6 300 hp rear-wheel drive sedan to be released in 2009. But geez, who can concentrate on such blather when there’s a supercharged Tiburon like this one just sitting there staring at you? Check out the metallic paint and the ultra-burly sound system.