Restored Tiburon Restored Tiburon

2025.01.17 Hyundai Motor Group 분량6min

[Tiburon Restoration Project 3] The Completed Tiburon: Back on the Road with Dreams

At last, the restoration of the Tiburon is complete. The owner’s long-standing wish to drive his Tiburon on the track once more has finally come true. Here’s the final chapter of the Tiburon restoration project - about how the fully restored Tiburon performed.

After a year-long journey, the project is nearing its conclusion. The owner, Jang-hyuck Heo, wanted to rediscover his youthful passion from nearly 30 years ago and relive the excitement he shared with his Tiburon. Now, the restoration of the Tiburon, carrying all of his hopes, is almost complete. The Tiburon has been successfully restored: all parts were disassembled and thoroughly refurbished, from the body, engine, transmission, and suspension, to the interior, bringing it back to near-new condition.

People gathering to test the restored Tiburon

But one final hurdle remains: to see if the restored Tiburon can perform on the track, fulfilling Heo’s wish to drive it once again. To verify the Tiburon’s performance, Jang-hyuck Heo gathered with Hyundai's High Performance Vehicle Test Team’s Senior Researcher Jee-yong Jung and racing driver / automotive columnist Byung-hui Kang. Both of them also hold fond memories of the Tiburon, sharing the excitement of seeing it restored. Let’s see how these experts, with their personal history and professional perspectives, evaluate the restored Tiburon.

A 20-Year Friendship: Reuniting Racers and Their Memories of the Tiburon

People gathering to test the restored Tiburon

The three are long-time acquaintances, having raced together over 20 years ago at the Click Speed Festival, Korea’s top amateur racing event of the time. Anyone passionate about cars and driving would have dreamed of participating in such an event.


Jang-hyuck Heo and Senior Research Engineer Jee-yong Jung first met through the Tiburon Owners Group (TOG), and both entered the Click Speed Festival. Meanwhile, Byung-hui Kang, who was a senior in college at the time, didn’t own a Tiburon but joined the event and forged a bond with the other two. Now, 20 years later, the restored Tiburon has brought them back together again.

The photo of Tiburon that people had in the past

Senior Researcher Jee-yong Jung (above) and Jang-hyuck Heo (below) once owned Tiburons, and the photos of their old cars showcase their shared passion for the vehicle.

Jang-hyuck Heo and Jee-yong Jung built many memories as part of the Tiburon Owners Group. Heo purchased his Tiburon in late 1998 and customized it extensively to suit his preferences, focusing on enhancing the driving experience by tuning parts like the bumper, audio, wheels/tires, and exhaust. He spent triple the market price of a used Tiburon on modifications alone, showing just how deep his passion ran.

Jee-yong Jung bought his white manual Tiburon in May 1996, right after its launch, and became a founding member of TOG. From wheels and tires to suspension, clutch, camshaft, and exhaust performance upgrades, to aesthetic modifications like a new steering wheel, bucket seats, rear spoiler, and side skirts, there was almost nothing he hadn’t tried. His experiences with the Tiburon even solidified his dream of becoming a Hyundai engineer.

A picture of Tiburon

On the other hand, Byung-hui Kang never owned a Tiburon. His first car was a Hyundai Scoupe Turbo, followed by a Click, which he raced in the Click Speed Festival. He was also part of Sports Coupe Family (SCF), a Scoupe owners group, where he enjoyed winding roads with fellow enthusiasts. His unique connection with the Tiburon began when he was a high school freshman—he once spotted a Tiburon in a nearby alley and boldly asked the owner, whom he had never met, for a ride. That spontaneous moment sparked his affection for the Tiburon.

The Tiburon Returns to the Track

Photos of Tiburon running after restoration

The deep bond between these three and the Tiburon is undeniable. But today, they gathered not just to relive cherished memories but to assess the performance of the fully restored Tiburon. Jang-hyuck Heo explained that he asked the two to join him not out of personal nostalgia, but to objectively evaluate the Tiburon’s performance.

Photos of Tiburon running after restoration


Jee-yong Jung was the first to take the wheel. Like reuniting with an old friend, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with emotion, continually expressing admiration for the car. His profound affection for the Tiburon was evident. After driving it on the track, Jee-yong Jung said that the Tiburon’s performance felt just like it did years ago, noting that it had been “restored to near perfection.” He praised the familiar vibration and engine feel of the 2.0 Beta engine, the shifting sensation of the gear lever, the engagement of the clutch, and the driving dynamics through each corner—all preserved as they were nearly 30 years ago.

Tiburon is being tested by Hyundai Motor researchers

In true engineering fashion, Jung also offered a keen technical analysis. He detected a slightly firmer ride and minor differences in handling, which stemmed from the adjustable coilover shock absorbers used instead of the original springs and dampers. The project focused on enhancing the Tiburon’s sport driving capabilities, allowing the driver to adjust the damping and the car's movement based on driving conditions and preferences.

Photos of Tiburon running after restoration

Professional racer / auto columnist Byung-hui Kang also shared his thoughts after a thorough review; He expressed that the Tiburon evoked pure nostalgia, praising its well-balanced 150 horsepower, the joy of controlling the 5-speed manual transmission, and the vibrant, responsive feel of the hydraulic power steering, which relayed every subtle movement of the front wheels.

Tiburon is being tested by Racing Driver

Kang also emphasized that unlike today’s cars, which are filled with electronic control systems, the Tiburon embodies the essence of a lightweight sports car, making driving increasingly enjoyable. The manual Tiburon’s curb weight is just 1,160 kg, which is 100 kg lighter than the current Elantra. This light weight is one reason the Tiburon delivers such a lively performance despite its modest power output. Summing up his thoughts, Kang said, “The Tiburon is one of those cars that gets more spirited the faster you go.”

Photos of Tiburon running after restoration

After the test drive, Senior Researcher Jee-yong Jung reflected on the Tiburon’s legacy and its impact on Hyundai. “The Tiburon’s solid foundation and potential helped Hyundai succeed on the global stage, enabling the company to continue developing performance-oriented models. The Tiburon had a significant influence on Hyundai’s current lineup,” he noted.

Photos of Tiburon running after restoration

Thus concludes the Tiburon restoration project. As Jang-hyuck Heo had long dreamed of, his Tiburon was fully restored, and as Jee-yong Jung and Byung-hui Kangs track test confirmed, it retains all the performance and sensations of the past. For Heo, Jung, and Kang, the Tiburon was not just a car—it was a symbol of dreams and hope. The fact that this iconic vehicle, which played a role in elevating Hyundais reputation on the world stage, exists today just as it did in the past is priceless.

 

By Se-hwan Lee

Film by HMG Journal

Photography by Hyuk-soo Jo

Special thanks to

Car Life (https://www.instagram.com/carlife_archives/), Motor Magazine (https://www.motormag.co.kr/)