Hyundai is rebuilding the 1974 Pony Coupe Concept made for the company’s debut at that year’s Turin Motor Show, and is working with its legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to do so.
The rebuilt concept will be shown in the northern hemisphere springtime, Hyundai said, which means somewhere between March and May.
Hyundai Motor announced the plan during a design talk in Seoul featuring Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro (his son) along with Hyundai Motor chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke and head of Hyundai’s Global Design Centre SangYup Lee.
It’s said that in 1974, Hyundai Motor executives contacted Giorgetto Giugiaro to propose work designing its first independent model and “Korea’s first mass-produced car”.
The nascent company commissioned Giugiaro to design, make blueprints, and build five prototypes – one of which was a coupe.
With its wedge-style nose, circular headlamps and geometric lines, the Pony Coupe was intended for North American and European markets. Alas the project came to a stop in 1981 just before mass production amid an adverse economic environment.
While the concept was an unfinished dream at the time, the company still contends its “bold spirit helped kickstart the Korean automotive industry by directly influencing Hyundai’s first independent production models under its Pony nameplate, which ran from 1975 to 1990 and were sold around the world”.
The concept design apparently also served as a source of inspiration for Giugiaro’s work on the DeLorean DMC 12 that debuted in 1983. Yes, that DeLorean.
The Pony Coupe Concept remains a key part of Hyundai’s legacy, the company insists, citing its inspiration on the design of the Ioniq 5 and the N Vision 74 hydrogen-hybrid ‘rolling lab’ development vehicle.
“Not only does this project hold historical value, but it also represents a cross-cultural exchange that could pave the way for more collaborations down the road,” said Mr Donckerwolke.
SangYup Lee added: “Since the original concept car no longer exists, we’ve commissioned Giorgetto Giugiaro to rebuild it based on our design philosophy, ‘Shaping the future with legacy.’”
Of his original design, Mr Giugiaro said, “I designed the Hyundai Pony when I was still a young designer at the start of my career. I felt very proud that I was in charge of creating a vehicle for a company and country that was about to take on a fiercely competitive global market.
“Now, I’m deeply honored that Hyundai has asked me to rebuild it for posterity and as a celebration of the brand’s heritage.”
MORE: Hyundai Grandeur Heritage Series – old classic goes electric
