Inside: Veloster Street Concept

With the turbocharged Veloster adding momentum to the the already impressive uptake of their newest hot hatch, Hyundai decided to take things to the next level. Their one-off 'Street Concept' is an inspiration to modified car enthusiasts and proof positive that the Veloster is an excellent platform on which to build something incredible.

It's not just us talking it up either with the Veloster accounting for a massive percentage of the Aussie sports car segment, easily leading in terms of outright units sold and trouncing anything else in its class under $80k!

So with its already quirky coupe/sedan layout and obvious sporty bent, what was it that prompted the build of what is undoubtedly the boldest promo car the Australian arm of the Korean giant has ever undertaken?

Well as it turns out, 'New Thinking, New Possibilities' isn't just spit and glitter from the marketing department at Hyundai HQ and instead, it represents a real-deal, hands-on approach to how they're marketing their current range. Any half-decent car reviewer will tell you that Hyundai make cars that are great value, reliable and feature-packed but that's never enough to capture a market as fickle as the car enthusiast audience. It seems as though Hyundai have been paying attention.

The Street Concept is a joint project undertaken in conjunction with Concord Customs, the respected Sydney custom car shop with dozens of cleverly modified rides under their belt. But while Chris and Alex are no strangers to creating killer cars that demand attention, taking a brand-new completely standard Veloster and turning it into another show-stopper inside three weeks was a whole new challenge.

The Veloster incorporates quite a few unique elements. Take the roof. Chris told us that down-lights have been done to death, so instead the guys used strips of LEDs attached to a dimmer inside leaving a cleaner and more factory look. This allows the ambient light to be adjusted and had the side benefit of allowing punters at the Motor Show to see the interior lit up from inside as opposed to being blasted by ugly external light bars.

Working with Hyundai Australia, Concord also came up with the unique splitters and skirts that are a world first incorporating LEDs. Says Chris, “The splitters give the car a race look and the LEDs add illumination. When the lights are off, the splitters just look black”. The numberplate also lights up and are a three layer laser cut combination which finishes off the car.

Hyundai are justifiably proud of the Veloster and the Street Concept proves their willingness to embrace the automotive aftermarket enthusiasts as key to their brand's expansion and future. Hyundai Motor Company Australia Marketing Director Oliver Mann; “Street Concept is an excellent example of the versatility of the brand and the potential for Hyundai to reach a broader audience.”

Carl Bowerman Trimming took care of the re-trim but it’s the use of materials that had us talking. The seats are now covered in a high-grade Scottish hide from Leffler Leather that, according to Chris, is about the finest leather you can buy and used in the likes of Audi, Bentley and Rolls Royce. A sporty Korean coupe never felt so nice!

Engine, suspension and stereo upgrades are in plentiful supply too showing that it's not just enough to slap some killer wheels and stickers on the surprisingly awesome factory paint scheme to call it a demo car.

Since it was unveiled at the 2012 Sydney Motor Show the Street Concept has been in high demand travelling the breadth of the country where it has been positively received by die-hard car enthusiasts everywhere. With a sea of Veloster owners already out there and plenty more lining up to buy, we're sure this won't be the last heavily modified version we see in 2013.

Check out all of the amazing details of this incredible build by picking up issue #231 of HOT4s Magazine, on sale February 13.