HYUNDAI HATCHES
A HONKIN’ HOT HATCHBACK
PROTOTYPE DRIVE
EXCLUSIVE
shocked to hear. That Tarquini, who has
raced touring cars since back in the ’90s.
After the orientation video and walking
tour, Hyundai minder Derek Joyce—the
epitome of the California sandy-haired
surfer, with a proclivity to call everyone
“dude”—drove me to a striking glass-and-
chrome edifice, just across the street from
the ’Ring. Hyundai has created a Euro-
pean Test Center here, right in the heart
of global automotive high performance.
But I keep glancing over my shoulder at
that legendary swath of asphalt. What
shall we thrash over its 12.9 miles today?
As we approach the beautifully detailed
and classy modernist structure, we notice
a film crew out front, along with what
appears to be a Veloster, sporting the
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