Hyundai teams up with Giugiaro to recreate a concept car from 1974

Hyundai has asked Giorgetto and Fabricio Giugiaro to reproduce the iconic Pony Coupe dating back to 1974 (see the gallery). Whether the project aims to offer a fresh perspective on the car or just recreate it bit-by-bit is unclear at this time.

The Pony hatchback is widely believed to be Hyundai’s first mass-produced car made in South Korea. The Hyundai Coupe had been envisioned as the manufacturer’s ticket to the markets of North America and Europe, but it never went past the engineering design stage.

Giorgetto Giugiaro said he was proud when the company asked him in the mid-1970s to develop a car for an entire country as it prepared to enter the international market with its stiff competition.

Aside from the Giugiaros, the project may enlist the help of Luc Donckerwolke, the Creative Director of Hyundai Motor Company, and SangYup Lee, the Director of Hyundai Global Design HQ. The result should be ready for a public premiere in next spring.

The company’s recent concept, the Vision 74 (see video), was also an homage of sorts to the Pony Coupe of the past, sporting similar edgy outlines and rectangular lights.