The Hyundai Scoupe was a 2-door coupé based on the Hyundai Excel. The name, a portmanteau of "sporty" and "coupe," was pronounced "scoop". In the UK and other countries it is known as an "S Coupé". It was sold in the US from December 1988 through 1995. An 81 horsepower, 1.5L Mitsubishi sourced I4 engine provided power to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Several changes came for 1993, when Scoupes got a facelift, including the current Hyundai "H" logo, new flush headlamps plus body-colored side moldings and redesigned front sheetmetal, taillights, and rear bumper. The Base and LS models came with a new and improved, In-house manufactured, 1.5L 12-valve, direct-port fuel-injected engine, called "Alpha". The 1,495 cc Alpha, with a bore and an stroke, produced at 5,500 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm in naturally aspirated form, with a 10:1 compression ratio, and at 5,500 rpm and of torque at 4,500 rpm when turbocharged, with a 7.5:1 compression ratio. Turbos came only with 5-speed manual shift, while Base and LS models could have an optional 4-speed automatic. The Australian spec S-Coupe GT Turbo has been road tested by several Australian magazines, returning times of 9.2-9.3 secs for 0–100 km/h and 16.8 secs for the 0–400 m dash. Hyundai says the Scoupe was the first production application for Garrett Automotive Products' T15 turbocharger, which was new for the early 1990s. The turbo unit includes water-cooled bearings and housings and an integral wastegate. The naturally aspirated Alpha boasts a 14% increase in power over its 1.5L Mitsubishi-designed predecessor, and the turbo produces 42% more power. The GT's EPA was city, and highway. The 1988-92 "Base" models achieved city and Hwy for Manual Trans, and city and for Automatic. For 1993 the Scoupe received a facelift and Hyundai's first internally developed engine. The 1993-95 "Base" Alpha 1.5 engine models achieved city Hwy for Manual Trans and City and for Automatic. The car was replaced by the Tiburon in 1996. This car made an appearance on BBC Top Gear Series 13 Episode 2 as Richard Hammond's car for the challenge where the presenters are finding the perfect car for a 17-year-old driver.
Scoupe Turbo
The Scoupe GT was Hyundai's first attempt at a sports car and featured South Korea's first domestically designed engine with a cast-iron block and crankshaft. The engine contains an aluminum head, aluminum pistons and titanium connecting rods. A special compact heatproof ceramic combustion chamber design with central spark plug location was incorporated to optimize engine efficiency. The engine utilizes a Robert Bosch GmbH electronic engine control system and a knock sensor.
