Genesis Coupe

Make
Hyundai
Segment
Coupe

Should anyone be surprised? We weren't. But for a driver as incredible as Rhys Millen, great things seem to regularly come his way. It's just been announced that the multi-talented driver has just set a new record at this year's International Hill Climb competition. Behind the wheel of his modified 700 horsepower Hyundai Genesis Coupe racecar, Millen needed to beat a time of 9:51.278, set last year by Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, in order to smash the record.

Millen completed the 12.42-mile course with the new world record time of 9:46.164. But this was no ordinary course. It consisted of 12.42 miles of that climbed 4,720 feet to a total ascent of over 14,000 feet. If people recall, the race was held later this year due to the devestating wildfires that struck earlier this summer.

Millen's own racing team, appropriately called Rhys Millen Racing (RMR), made various enhancements to the Genesis Coupe. RMR focused specifically on maximizing the car's grip potential due to the fact that this year's Pikes Peak was on a fully paved course for the first time.

Therefore, they had to prepare the car to handle even higher speeds. This was done by adding a new aero package to target downforce at higher speeds, new brake calipers and a set of ultra-wide racing tires on custom HRE lightweight wheels. Both the front splitter and rear wing benefited from a redesign for additional strength and a wide body kit was added for further stability. RMR then added a turbocharger to the V6 in order to get that magic 700hp with 700 pound feet of torque. Upon setting the record, Millen stated that "breaking the ten-minute barrier is something I've always wanted to do, and it feels great to accomplish this goal in 2012."