Hyundai building 708-horsepower Sonata for SEMA

Hyundai has again teamed with Bisimoto Engineering, allowing the powertrain tuners to build a 708-horsepower flex-fuel Sonata for the SEMA show.

Incredibly, the team is starting with Hyundai’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder Theta-II engine that produces 190 ponies and 179 lb-ft of torque in the entry-level Sonata.

As expected, many of the engine components needed to be strengthened to handle the extra power from a high-boost turbocharger. Bisimoto installed new forged pistons, connecting rods, a high-revving valve train and camshafts.

Aside from the engine tweaks, the sedan also features coilover suspension, a roll cage, Fifteen52 18-inch wheels and an Action Ironman clutch. A front splitter, aero package and body wrap complement the mechanical upgrades.

“Outrageous power is nothing without reliability, and it was a firm goal to retain the reliability that Hyundai is known for,” said Bisimoto owner Bisi Ezerioha. “After hundreds of hours of testing, failure analysis and prototyping, 18 new products will be engineered and produced in house to produce 708 horsepower from the Sonata.”

The Sonata build represents the third year of collaboration between both companies. Previous SEMA show cars include a 1,029-horsepower Odyssey minivan and a 1,000-pony Genesis Coupe.