Tiburon first began production in late 1996. It was available in a few foreign markets with engine choices of either 1.6L or 1.8L. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the Tiburon was first offered in 1997 with base models using the Elantra's 1.8L 130 hp engine while the upscale FX received a 2.0L four-cylinder engine

Straight-4

The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

. The 2.0L was rated at 140 hp at the crankshaft (the car's manual specifies 102 kW at the flywheel). Base weight was around 2,550 lb (1,150 kg), giving the RC Tiburon a higher power-to-weight ratio than the newer GK 2.0L.