One Million-Km 2008 Elantra Restored and Given Hyundai’s N Treatment
One of the highlights of the third season of Roulez au Suivant, a TV show in Quebec hosted by The Car Guide’s Antoine Joubert, is definitely the restoration of a 2008 Hyundai Elantra with a million kilometres. Joubert himself was behind the wheel when the car reached the million mark back in 2020 while doing a special feature.
In a partnership with Hyundai Canada, which donated the vehicle accompanied by a list of over 100 parts, the team carried out an exhaustive restoration project including the mechanics, bodywork and interior, giving the small sedan a similar visual treatment to the Korean automaker’s N performance models.
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“Considering the exceptionally high mileage of this Elantra and the fact that it has been parked the vast majority of the time in the last few years, we honestly expected worse,” Joubert said. “Even the compression of the original engine was convincing.”
“Although the original engine was still in excellent running condition with no faults, we wanted the engine block to be replaced as part of the overall theme of the restoration and provide a positive ownership experience for the new owner”, said Dan Dominato, national manager of aftersales at Hyundai Canada. “Hyundai’s Quality Assurance division will receive the original engine for documentation of its remarkable longevity. Initial inspection of the cylinders and rotating assembly reveals it to be in very good condition.”
Fun fact: the dashboard was refurbished and the odometer was reset to zero since it stopped at 999,999 km, but the Hyundai Canada team still took care to add a “1” in front to highlight how far this vehicle has come.
For the paint job, Joubert and his colleagues boldly chose a light blue colour in homage to the Performance Blue that’s available exclusively on Hyundai's N performance vehicles.On the sides, the “N” logo was added with the mention “INSPIRED” underneath. The red-lined skirt going around the vehicle is also a tribute to the 2024 Elantra N’s design.
The beautifully restored little sedan is now the first vehicle for Éloïc Lachance, a 16-year-old teenager from Rougemont, Québec. And he received the keys from none other than the previous owner, Jocelyn Roy, in the same dealership where the latter had taken possession of the car almost 15 years ago.
“I had a little tear in my eye,” admits Roy, who said he was amazed by the transformation to which his old Elantra was entitled. “I told Éloïc that if he is careful, he will do as many kilometres as I did.”
