Hyundai will team up with legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to recreate the original Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept of 1974, an iconic show car designed by Giugiaro that laid the groundwork for the arrival of the Pony sedan a year later.
The concept was among five designs Giugiaro came up with for Hyundai in the early 1970s as part of a government challenge to develop South Korea's first car in time for launch by 1975 (previously Korean automakers were building cars for foreign automakers). The challenge would eventually be met by the Pony sedan.
A production version of the Pony Coupe Concept was due to follow but the project came to a stop in 1981 due to an economic downturn. The car's wedge-shape would live on in another Giugiaro design: the DeLorean DMC 12 that debuted in 1983.
Despite its significance, the Pony Coupe Concept no longer exists. Hyundai hasn't said what actually happened to it, but now the automaker wants to build a new one as we approach the 50th anniversary of the concept's unveiling at the 1974 Turin auto show.
Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept
Hyundai made the announcement last week in Seoul at a meeting of designers, which included Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio. The two Giugiaros today run the design firm GFG Style, which they started after selling their remaining shares in their previous design firm, Italdesign Giugiaro, to Volkswagen Group in 2015.
The collaboration between Hyundai and GFG Style could extend beyond the recreation of the Pony Coupe Concept, according to Luc Donckerwolke, Hyundai Motor Group's chief creative officer.
“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,” he said in a statement.
The recreated Pony Coupe Concept will be unveiled next spring.
