The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N TA Spec does not need an unrestricted “fastest ever” label to deserve attention. On June 23, 2024, Dani Sordo drove it up Pikes Peak in 9 minutes, 30.852 seconds, winning the Exhibition division and finishing third overall. Those are substantial achievements for a competition car with production-EV roots, and they appear in the event’s official results, not just a manufacturer’s promotional campaign.
The more interesting story concerns what Hyundai changed—and what it deliberately retained. The TA Spec explored how far a road-car foundation could go when adapted for a particular competition. Rather than treating it as proof of universal supremacy, it is worth examining the engineering choices, the demanding assignment and the boundaries of what one timed ascent can establish.
A mountain assignment, not a showroom trim
Hyundai unveiled the TA Spec on May 31, 2024, at the Nürburgring 24 Hours event. Despite that setting, its immediate assignment was Colorado’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Hyundai’s original announcement described two specially prepared cars, so this was not literally a one-off.
By race day, Hyundai fielded two TA Specs and one production-category Ioniq 5 N. The mountain course stretched 12.42 miles through 156 turns, gaining more than 4,700 feet in elevation, according to the company’s post-race account. That is a specific challenge, not an interchangeable substitute for a circuit endurance race.
There is also a useful distinction between calendar year and model year: the organizer lists the TA Spec entries as 2025 Hyundais in its 2024 results. “TA Spec” identifies the competition preparation here, not evidence of a retail trim launch.
More output without a replacement powertrain
The headline output was a manufacturer-rated 687 PS—approximately 678 mechanical horsepower, not 687 hp. Hyundai’s technical specification retained an 84-kWh battery. Its race report further identifies the dual motors and two-stage inverters as production hardware, with software increasing rear-motor output by 27 kW.
That continuity matters more than the relatively modest headline increase. It makes the TA Spec an examination of an existing powertrain’s potential rather than a demonstration by an unrelated racing drivetrain wearing familiar bodywork. It does not, however, mean a road car can reproduce the competition result merely by matching its advertised output.
The road-going N already had a thermal-management strategy. Hyundai’s 2023 launch documentation describes separate battery and motor radiators, battery preconditioning, and an Endurance setting that reduces peak power to slow heat buildup. These features explain why peak output and sustained performance must be treated as different engineering objectives.
The chassis changes deserve equal billing
Hyundai specified three-way-adjustable dampers, adjustable ride height and camber, 18-inch forged racing wheels, Yokohama slicks, and racing brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. The body received a Pikes Peak-specific aerodynamic package, according to the TA Spec equipment list.
The useful interpretation is that Hyundai approached the car as a complete competition package. Quoting motor output alone leaves out the parts responsible for managing the resulting pace. Equally, describing its suspension as “maximizing grip through every corner” suggests a certainty the equipment list cannot supply. Adjustable hardware gives a team options; the specification itself does not tell us which settings worked best or how the driver experienced them.
The same restraint belongs in any discussion of the aero. Hyundai documented a dedicated package, but that announcement did not supply a measured downforce figure or an isolated comparison showing its contribution to the finishing time. The visible ambition is clear; its individual time saving is not quantified.
What the stopwatch actually established
The organizer explicitly credits Sordo with the Electric Modified SUV/Crossover record in its 2024 competitor retrospective. That category wording matters: a crossover record and an outright event victory are different accomplishments.
The official classification puts Romain Dumas first in the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck at 8:53.553. Randy Pobst finished eighth overall in the second Hyundai TA Spec at 9:55.551. Sordo’s result therefore demonstrates serious competitiveness without establishing that Hyundai beat every entrant—or that the car was the fastest Hyundai under every possible definition.
Nor should the results become a tidy laboratory comparison. Two drivers in the same named specification produced different times. That does not diminish either run; it illustrates why a race result belongs to the whole effort. Driver execution and preparation cannot be separated from the vehicle simply by reading the finishing order.
The production connection is the lasting achievement
The standard N’s underlying philosophy preceded this hill-climb project: it debuted at Goodwood on July 13, 2023. Its launch specifications included structural reinforcement and regenerative braking developed to support track use. The TA Spec did not invent that foundation; it subjected a competition adaptation to public scrutiny.
The organizer also recognized Ron Zaras’s production-category run of 10:49.267 as an Electric Production SUV/Crossover benchmark in its event retrospective. Taken together, the entries make a more informative statement than a horsepower boast: Hyundai tested both the road-car proposition and a more specialized interpretation on the same mountain.
The TA Spec’s legacy is therefore best understood as a demonstrated result, not a promise that every future N will inherit its pace. It showed that a production-based electric crossover could underpin a credible, class-winning competition effort. That conclusion is narrower than “fastest ever,” but considerably more useful to an enthusiast trying to understand the car.
Cover: 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Spec on display at the New York International Auto Show, April 20, 2025. Photo: Oleg Yunakov / CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographer: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Oleg_Yunakov ; license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ . Indicate any modifications and license adaptations under CC BY-SA 4.0. · Photo source · Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Original photograph; WordPress may create display-size derivatives.
Sources
- Hyundai N Unveils IONIQ 5 N TA (Time Attack) Spec and Collaboration with Gran Turismo at Nürburgring 24 Hours
- Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 N Sets Benchmark for Crossover EVs at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
- 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Official Overall Results
- PPIHC Rookies in Exhibition and Pikes Peak Open Make the Show
- Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 N Debuts at Goodwood Festival of Speed, Setting New Benchmark for High-Performance EVs and Driving Fun
- Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Review: The Electric Performance Car That Finally Speaks to Enthusiasts
- Vicrez V8R Front Splitter vz112080 | Hyundai Ioniq 5
