Driving the Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup Car Will Make You an EV Track Day Addict
It’s a little weird to strap yourself into an EV that’s raucously idling and burbling as it sits there in the pit lane, but that’s exactly what the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup car does. Or it did, at least, before the sound system in my car shorted out, leaving me with only my internal monologue and the complaints of its slick Kumho tires for the rest of my sessions behind the wheel.
But my first session inside Hyundai’s latest and most powerful racer was a noisy one, the car screaming its way to a simulated redline and barking through each and every pretend gear. It’s all silly and it’s all unnecessary, but I would argue that no form of motorsport is necessary, so I don’t hate it.
Sound is just one of the unique touches in Hyundai’s latest track day toy, which will soon star in its own one-make race series. With a starting price of around $100,000 plus minimal on-track running costs, the eN1 is far more affordable than your average gutted and caged 601-horsepower racer.
It’s also a lot more playful, which makes for a very compelling proposition.
The eN1 Cup car is Hyundai’s race-ready flavor of the Ioniq 5 N. This track-only EV is wrapping up its final testing and development now, ahead of a racing debut in May. The speed addicts in Hyundai’s N division gave the eN1 the usual track day upgrades, including composite bodywork, an ankle-biting splitter and dive planes, polycarbonate windows, and the requisite big wing out back.
It’s a little weird to strap yourself into an EV that’s raucously idling and burbling as it sits there in the pit lane, but that’s exactly what the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup car does. Or it did, at least, before the sound system in my car shorted out, leaving me with only my internal monologue and the complaints of its slick Kumho tires for the rest of my sessions behind the wheel.
But my first session inside Hyundai’s latest and most powerful racer was a noisy one, the car screaming its way to a simulated redline and barking through each and every pretend gear. It’s all silly and it’s all unnecessary, but I would argue that no form of motorsport is necessary, so I don’t hate it.
Sound is just one of the unique touches in Hyundai’s latest track day toy, which will soon star in its own one-make race series. With a starting price of around $100,000 plus minimal on-track running costs, the eN1 is far more affordable than your average gutted and caged 601-horsepower racer.
It’s also a lot more playful, which makes for a very compelling proposition.