Think electric racing is boring? The 641bhp Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup wants to change that

We’re big fans of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N hot hatch, because it’s about the most fun you can have in an EV. Fake gears, 10-second bursts of extra power, and a drift mode, all sound like gimmicks, but together they make for one engaging hot hatch. But what if the 5 N was turned up to 11?

Enter the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup race car. It keeps the production 5 N’s battery and motors – so it’s still good for 641bhp. But out goes anything superfluous, and in comes a roll cage, a racing seat, slicks, and a whole lot of aero add-ons. Weight goes down 10 per cent, grip goes way up.

All the novel gimmicks – like N Drift Optimiser – are gone, because this is a focused race car. Yet at the same time, Hyundai wants this to be an affordable race car, so prices will start under €100,000.

It’s starting a one-make championship in Korea, too, and it’ll be a live test-bed as Hyundai hopes to find a path towards making electric racing fun. Teams will be able to choose the sound their cars make, and taking an idea from gaming, race officials can punish you mid-race with less power for over-aggressive driving.

Will it work? Top Gear Magazine’s deputy editor, Ollie Kew, has been to find out…