| I have many fond memories of my school days. | | | | was from a foreign land - not Mars or Jupiter, but |
| You see by cunningly playing sports, music and | | | | Korea - it was the new Hyundai Coupe and the |
| talking too much in class, I managed to transcend | | | | world was agog at Hyundai's audacity of making a |
| different social groups and in turn the bullies that | | | | car this good looking when their history was |
| preyed on kids from one particular group seemed | | | | founded in a sea of grey, boxy pensioner-mobiles. |
| to pass me by. What I don't have fond memories | | | | Fast forward ten years and I own a first |
| of however is how I went to and from my | | | | generation Coupe and I love it. The car has been |
| school, starting with a wet and windy bus stop, | | | | dubbed the 'Korean Ferrari' which despite my |
| going via a used car supermarket and arriving at | | | | undying love for the car is complete rubbish. The |
| my destination cold and hungry. | | | | curves are beautiful alright, but it's no Ferrari and |
| Living in a town outside Cardiff has many benefits | | | | the performance and price tag differential reflect |
| such as cheaper house prices and being quieter, | | | | this. What this car does though is make you feel |
| but my parents insisted the schools weren't much | | | | special. The front headlights look like tear drops; |
| cop locally so off I went everyday on an hour | | | | the bonnet has two bulges very similar to a |
| long bus journey to and from Cardiff. The bus | | | | Porsche 911 and the sides taper gracefully to the |
| itself had seen two world wars and the birth of | | | | rear light clusters hiding under a spoiler that could |
| Christ from the looks of it and offered hard | | | | easily be a sculpture in its own right. |
| wooden seats, a cold draft and windows that | | | | Engines range from a 1.6 litre to a 2 litre, although |
| somehow managed to condense in the summer | | | | the car to look out for is the limited edition F2 |
| as well as winter. | | | | Evolution which has an extra 17bhp pushed from |
| The banter on the bus was the only thing that | | | | the 2 litre engine, resulting in 155bhp. The F2 |
| kept us going I think, but there was always | | | | Evolution is even prettier than the standard car, |
| trouble of some kind, culminating in the bus driver | | | | with bigger wheels, front bumper, rear spoiler and |
| taking photos of individuals, so he had evidence of | | | | oval racing exhaust. It was designed by Peter |
| the shenanigans we got up to - at least that's | | | | Stevens who designed the McLaren Formula One |
| what he told us they were for. | | | | cars of the mid 90's and the super car of the |
| As bad as the bus was though, it was the endless | | | | same name and Hyundai's World Rally |
| trudging to the bus stop first thing in the morning | | | | Championship team. |
| that got to me the most. From beneath my | | | | As standard you get, well everything really: |
| duffel coat, scarf, gloves and ten jumpers, | | | | leather seats, air conditioning, cruise control, ABS, |
| morning after morning I saw drivers in their warm | | | | plenty of bits moved electrically and a CD player. |
| cars sliding past gracefully, laughing at the radio as | | | | All derivatives have exceptional handling, with the |
| the rain lashed down on me. I vowed that once I | | | | car sticking to the road like glue no matter how |
| was older and I had a job, I'd be driving in a nice | | | | hard you push it. This is the one main criticism of |
| car through puddles splashing school kids myself. | | | | the Coupe - a lack of power, as the chassis could |
| Through the condensed windows on the bus I'd | | | | easily handle more. |
| spy all manner of cars throughout the countless | | | | The car is near bullet-proof when it comes to |
| journeys and changed my mind daily on what I | | | | reliability too. Yes it's a Korean car so the |
| wanted. Then on a particularly cold and icy day as | | | | materials used for the interior are especially |
| I looked at the used car supermarket we passed | | | | cheap, but I challenge you to find a better styled, |
| daily I saw the curves of a car I'd never seen | | | | handling and equipped car for the money. Oh yes |
| before, adorned with a badge I'd never seen - it | | | | the cost is by far the best bit. Even if you track |
| looked like a 'H' but wasn't Honda. The car was a | | | | down one of the rare 1,500 F2 Evolution versions, |
| two door coupe that was simply the best looking | | | | you still won't pay more than £3000, with |
| car I'd ever seen in the flesh. | | | | a bog standard 1.6 litre version £2000 tops. |
| Everyday we'd drive past and I'd see this magic | | | | There's a well known advert that says to be |
| car with no identity wondering what planet it'd | | | | doing what you really want is priceless. The reality |
| come from and that once the ice covering it had | | | | is that it'll cost between £2000 and |
| thawed someone really ought to notice an alien | | | | £3000. |
| craft at their supermarket. The car it transpired | | | | |