Hyundai celebrates heritage with rebuilt Giugario concept

Hyundai has partnered with Giorgetto Giugario again to recreate his 50-year old concept that helped set the direction for the Korean brand’s original designs.

The company revealed the Recreated Pony Coupe Concept at scenic Lake Como in Italy, almost 50 years after its original debut at the 1974 Turin motor show. Hyundai partnered with GFG Style, a design firm run by Giorgetto and his son Fabrizio.

The wedge-shaped concept features crisp, origami-like styling with unadorned surfaces, while inside there’s a minimalist dashboard, bucket seats and a single-spoke steering wheel.

Reflecting on his work on the original concept, Giorgetto said: “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,” he added.

“They immediately embraced the working methods that were new to them. They sacrificed themselves to make a good impression – for company and their partners.

“I’m proud and honored to witness how this company has evolved since we first met.”

Not only was the original Pony Coupe Concept a prelude to the first-generation Pony, a precursor to the later Excel and the first vehicle developed by the brand, it was used as inspiration for the Ioniq 5 and the recent N Vision 74 concept.

It never reached showrooms itself, with adverse global economic conditions in the late 1970s putting paid to planned production.

It would take until 1990 for Hyundai to introduce a coupe, with the front-wheel drive Excel-derived Scoupe.

The rear-wheel drive concept measures just 4080mm long, 1560mm wide and 1210mm tall on a 2340mm wheelbase, or 40mm longer than a Venue.

Under the bonnet is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine producing 60kW of power.

The restored concept was revealed as part of an inaugural event for Hyundai Reunion, “a heritage brand platform that reflects on Hyundai Motor’s past and its future direction”.

“Moving forward, through Hyundai Reunion and other heritage communication initiatives, we will continue to leverage our past as a unique vector for our future innovation,” said Hyundai Motor Company president and CEO Jaehoon Chang.

Hyundai has been increasingly tapping its heritage of late, even as it rolls out electric vehicles. Indeed, it has actually merged the two efforts, revealing electric restomod versions of its first-generation Pony and Grandeur.

“Despite the poor industrial environment in the 1970s, my grandfather and Hyundai’s founding chairman Ju-young Chung poured his heart and soul into rebuilding Korea’s economy and improving the lives of its people after the devastating Korean War,” said Hyundai Motor Group executive chair Euisun Chung.

“I express my sincere gratitude to everyone from both Italy and Korea who played a critical role in the success of Pony.”

MORE: Hyundai restomods original Pony into an electric vehicleMORE: Hyundai Grandeur Heritage Series – old classic goes electric