Hyundai Recreates One Of Its First Scrapped Cars, The Pony Coupe, 50 Years Later

In 1970, the Hyundai Pony Coupe concept was first introduced as a sleek wedge-shaped car that looked like something out of a retrofuturism catalog.
 
Georgette Giugiaro helped design the vehicle as, at the time, Hyundai did not have the team or resources to do so. The Pony was initially meant to announce the company’s entrance into the car market on a global scale. However, the economic state at the time prevented the coupe from making it to production. Yet, its geometric shape went on to later inspire many of the marque’s other iterations, such as the N Vision 74 and the Ioniq 5 EV.
 
Now the Pony is back once again, with the help of Giugiaro and his son Fabrizio, just in time for the 50th anniversary of its inception.

The coupe is 13.45 feet long and has the same wedge-like shape, and its sunroof and side and rear windows give it an almost panoramic view. Inside the car, it sticks to its retro aesthetic with single-spoke steering wheels, two-toned bucket seats, and a floating dashboard which is admittedly as far away from a touch-screen infotainment system as one can get, in a good way. Under its hood is a 1.2L four-cylinder engine that has 81bhp.
 
“Hyundai approached us to start a complete redesign of a model without much experience. I was skeptical at first because I didn’t know Hyundai Motor at that time. We were all impressed by the passion and commitment of the Hyundai engineers. They were sharp, curious, open, and extremely eager to learn. They immediately embraced the working methods that were new to them. They sacrificed themselves to make a good impression—for the company and their partners. I’m proud and honored to witness how this company has evolved since we first met,” Giugiaro said.

 
 
 
[via CarScoops and AutoExpress, images via Hyundai/PR Newswire]