Colin Bond and Hyundai, really? Yes indeed. The racing all-rounder played an important role in the Korean manufacturer’s early motor racing attempt, but it didn’t go well.
Hyundai had entered the Australian marketplace during the 1980s and by the start of the next decade it was expanding its line-up.
Joining the Excel was the S Coupe and the Tantra mid-size sedan, which formed the basis for Hyundai’s maiden motor racing attempts.
Hyundai had supported entries in the James Hardie Bathurst 12 Hours of the early-1990s, but elected to step up to the new Australian 2.0-Litre Touring Car Championship in 1994 contesting against the likes of Frank Gardner’s BMW team.
Going up against Gardner was a monumental task and Hyundai employed Bond to do just that.
Using parts from the Toyota Corolla Seca program from the season before, Bond built two for the Bathurst 1000.
Bond ran selected rounds of the short-lived Asia Pacific Touring Car Championship at both Wellington and Macau.
It displayed promise, but the 2.0-Litre formula was about to take a dramatic step forward by allowing multiple freedoms including aerodynamic aids to become Super Touring.
However, it was a low budget affair and Steve Hartman endured many mechanical maladies, particularly with the driveshaft.
The engine of the Lantra needed to be re-positioned to fit together with the gearbox causing a few problems.
Hyundai’s first motor racing program was brief as it pulled out after the 1995 season, while the Lantras were handed to privateers to compete with until Super Touring died in 2002.
However, Hyundai turned its attention to rallying climbing from Formula 2 to an outright World Rally Championship off the back of an Australian campaign led by Wayne Bell.
Now a leading motorsport contributor worldwide through WRC and touring cars among other programs, Hyundai can trace its racing roots back to Australia.