Recently some teasers were released for the Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept -- a car that will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show this month. Hyundai also announced that it will have a whole display of new vehicles bearing an “N” badge -- since M, S, RS, ST and F were taken, Hyundai seems to have settled on N for its more upscale and performance-oriented sub-brand.

But this is Hyundai in 2015 -- an established brand capable of building luxury cars that compete with the Germans, and a long way from its roots as a fledgling Korean auto manufacturer trying to break into the American market.

So, as a refresher, let's take a trip in the wayback machine and look at that Hyundai. The majestic 1986 Excel roams in its natural seaside habitat while the great Herman Munster Fred Gwynne talks about all the promising features and value built into the little economy car.

Hyundai wanted to take you on a “pleasant journey" and save you the trouble of hassling with more expensive machines by offering you a Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed car that would sell for around a thousand dollars less than a Ford Escort. Despite the design pedigree, the car looks about like every other compact car of the '80s and quickly developed a reputation for questionable reliability. But, the ad (and more than likely the price) must have worked: Hyundai sold 168,882 units, breaking all previous first-year import car sales.

The 1986 Excel came as a four-door notchback, a five-door hatch and eventually a three-door hatch, in trims ranging from GL to the more upscale GLS -- as upscale as a budget-oriented car could get anyway. The powerplant was a 1.5-liter single overhead cam engine that was designed by Mitsubishi as part of a technical agreement between the two manufacturers.

Unlike Yugo, Hyundai managed to hang on in the U.S. long enough to rectify its early missteps and eventually merged with fellow Korean manufacturer Kia in 2005.

Now it’s 2015, and the debut of the first Hyundai supercar is about to happen in Frankfurt. What a difference 30 years makes.

Your turn, China.

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