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• Hyundai has recreated the original Pony Concept Coupe, which inspired the recent N Vision 74 concept.
• The Pony concept was first shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1974.
• The restored prototype model was unveiled at a new event called Hyundai Reunion.
As it promised last November, Hyundai has produced a restored prototype of its 1974 Pony Concept Coupe. That project of course came about thanks to big public interest in the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept unveiled last year. That frankly gorgeous concept was inspired by the original ’74 Pony concept, which was never developed into a production model alongside the more-pedestrian Pony car.
More distantly, Hyundai designers also took inspiration from it for the conception of the 45 concept, which turned eventually into the Ioniq 5 electric crossover. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s now well-known that the Pony Coupe’s designer, Giorgetto Giugaro, used some of its lines when designing the famous/infamous DeLorean DMC-12.
There’s more still: during the time the designer was creating the Pony Coupe, he was also working on a new model for Volkswagen, which was to get the name Volkswagen Pony. Having lost out in the trademark race to Hyundai, VW changed the name of the model to… the Golf.
As it happens, next year is also the 50th anniversary of the presentation of that Pony Coupe concept. And so Hyundai invited Giorgetto Giugaro to recreate the model, aided by his son Fabrizio. The result of that work was shown at a new event called the Hyundai Reunion before making its way to the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy this past Saturday.
Visually, aside from the obvious origami-inspired lines of the car, there are two striking elements that aren’t necessarily obvious from looking at images of the Pony coupe: its size and its height. Specifically, this is only about the length of a Kia Rio (!), though it’s more than 150 mm narrower (!), and its height is 25 mm lower to the ground than the Chevy Corvette (!). This is a very mini car.
About the Pony Coupe concept, Hyundai head of design Luc Donckerwolke has said that “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.” Which could well mean that, even if the project to build a production model of the N Vision 74 concept is dead, there will be future models paying tribute to the ’74 prototype.
To wit, that new Hyundai Reunion event is an ideal platform to show new design studies, ideas and innovations that link Hyundai’s present and future with its past. Hyundai touted the event as “a heritage brand platform that reflects on Hyundai Motor’s past and its future direction.”
Stay tuned for more.
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