► Hyundai Ioniq hybrid land speed record attempt
► Modified hybrid hit record-breaking speed of 157.825mph
► Upgrades included aero tweaks and nitrous oxide injection
How do you get a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid – a car that would otherwise top out at 115mph – to go faster? Well, despite being a question yet to be asked by anyone, Hyundai’s answered in fairly spectacular fashion – by lacing its 83.1mpg-capable machine with a hefty dose of nitrous oxide.
A hit from the bottle, in conjunction with a few other upgrades – including the removal of various governers, a free-flow intake system, lowered suspension and aerodynamic tweaks – allowed the Hyundai to hit a peak speed of 160.7mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
More impressively, the car also set a new FIA-approved production-based hybrid land speed record of 157.825mph. This top speed is taken from the highest of several average flying mile speeds, hence the slight difference – the Hyundai only hit 160.7mph as it exited the timed course.
‘We couldn’t be more proud in setting the FIA hybrid-category record with our new Ioniq hybrid,’ said Mike O’Brien, vice president of the corporate and product planning division of Hyundai Motor America.
‘Our engineering team really pushed the limits to set this new segment benchmark while demonstrating the impressive durability of the entire Ioniq vehicle platform.’
Read CAR magazine’s Ioniq review