As much as Americans love V-8 powered, front-engine, rear-drive sports cars, they don’t always yield the best handling traits. Big V-8 engines aren’t always light in weight, which can make a car nose-heavy and somewhat ill-handling at the limit.

A different way to add horsepower is to start with a smaller engine and then add forced induction, and that’s the design and build philosophy behind Hyundai’s Hurricane SC Genesis Coupe.

Representing two years worth of development work between the Hyundai America Technical Center and partners Magnuson Products, Rhys Millen Racing, Harman International and Torvec, Inc, the Hurricane SC covers all the performance bases.

A liquid-to-air intercooled Magnuson supercharger helps Hyundai’s 3.8-liter V-6 develop just over 450 horsepower, which puts it on par with the RM500 Hyundai Genesis Coupe built by Rhys Millen Racing.

Ensuring the power gets to the ground without producing too much expensive tire smoke is the job of a Torvec IsoTorque limited slip differential. All four corners get 19-inch Enkei wheels with Hankook tires, and Brembo brakes handle the stopping duties.

The Hurricane SC also comes with a Bilstein suspension, a Rhys Millen Racing body kit, LED headlights and taillights and a Harman Lexicon audio system.

While we doubt that Hyundai will drop its 5.0-liter V-8 in the Genesis Coupe, we wouldn’t be all that surprised by a supercharged 3.8-liter Genesis Coupe. We’ve certainly got our fingers crossed on this one.

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