Hyundai and Giugiaro to repartner for rebuild of original 1974 Pony Coupé Concept

Look familiar? Probably, considering the seductive Hyundai N Vision 74 is a direct aesthetic descendent of the Giugiaro-designed 1974 Pony Coupé Concept. A one-off that was lost, but will now be brought back to life! 

Image: Hyundai Motor

Yes, the model shown above is almost 50 years old. In a time of wedge-shaped vehicles, there was Hyundai, the South Korean manufacturer that was looking to forge forward and usher in a new chapter of national industrialisation by taking on the world and when there are no design houses capable of creating a European rivalling masterpiece nearby, the logical decision would be to call the Italians. In this case, a young Giorgetto Giugiaro answered the call and took on the contract. This was the man that would go on to be named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002.

Now, Hyundai Motor Company has embarked on a project with Italian design firm GFG Style, notably its father and son founders Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, to rebuild the influential 1974 Pony Coupé Concept that young Giorgetto created for Hyundai’s debut at the 1974 Turin Motor Show with the model expected early next year. Hyundai announced the plan during a Design Talk in Seoul, featuring Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro along with Luc Donckerwolke, chief creative officer of the Hyundai Motor Group, and SangYup Lee, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor’s Global Design Centre.

Image: Hyundai Motor

“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.” says Donckerwolke.

“The original Pony and Pony Coupé Concept were one of those rare creations that influenced the designs of not just one but multiple production and concept vehicles, including our award-winning IONIQ 5 and attention-grabbing N Vision 74,” said Lee. “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’.”

Image: Hyundai Motor

In 1974, when Hyundai Motor was still in its early days of vehicle production, the company’s executives contacted Giorgetto Giugiaro to propose work on designing Hyundai’s first independent model and Korea’s first mass-produced car. At the time, there was no vehicle design and styling capability in Korea, so Hyundai Motor commissioned Giugiaro to design, make blueprints and build five prototypes, one of which was a coupe. In the process of designing and prototyping, Hyundai decided to show the Pony and Pony Coupé Concept at the Turin Motor Show to promote the brand’s debut in the global market.

With its wedge-style nose, circular headlamps and origami-like geometric lines, the Pony Coupe was intended for North American and European markets, but the project came to a stop in 1981 just before mass production amid an adverse global economic environment. The concept design also served as a huge source of inspiration for Giugiaro’s work on the DeLorean DMC 12 that debuted in 1983 and was famously used in the “Back to the Future” movies (1985-90).

The Pony and Pony Coupé Concept’s impact can still be felt. In 2019, Hyundai Motor took inspiration from the original Pony for the “45” concept car, which directly influenced the IONIQ 5, which debuted two years later. Also in 2021, Hyundai reinterpreted the original Pony production car as a restomod electric vehicle concept. And, in 2022, Hyundai nodded to the Coupé Concept yet again with its crowd-pleasing N Vision 74 hydrogen-hybrid “rolling lab” development vehicle.

Image: Hyundai Motor

Of his original design, 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 honoured that Hyundai has asked me to rebuild it for posterity and as a celebration of the brand’s heritage.”

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