Italian automotive designer Giugiaro — the designer of Hyundai’s first “people’s car,” the Hyundai Pony — has posted photos of a Pony Coupe prototype (via Herald Business) that it attempted to sell Hyundai on in 1974, but to no avail, unfortunately:
As the photo suggests (and the article notes), the very foward-looking design (nicer pics here) may have been the model used when Giugiaro was called upon later to design my favorite automobile of all time, the De Lorean DMC-12.
About the design, a Hyundai official said he really couldn’t confirm what happened to it, but looking at the photos, he said it probably would have been tough to make it work commercially at the time.
The Hyundai Pony (the box, not the concept car above) debuted at the 55th Turin Motor Show in October 1974, two months prior to the birth of the Marmot. It went into production the next year. It’s low price and durability (according to Herald Business) made it quite popular, opening the way to the true start of the automotive age in Korea. 10,726 units were sold during its first year, and at one point, it accounted for 43.6 percent of the passenger cars sold in the Korean market.
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4 Comments
I think the Daewoo Espero ended up looking a little like this.
Back to the Future.
Well the Pony served its purpose crappy as it was. I remember when it first came to Canada and my brother and I went to see them at a car show. The problem was that the only way he could sit in the driver’s seat was to stick his head out the sunroof, and he’s not especially tall-only 5′10″. Later, I took an awful road trip in another Hyundai where the back seat was unbelievably cramped-I couldn’t sit up straight.
Things have sure changed. I love my 96 Hyundai Sonata 3 now. Nice big car, comfortable to drive, good air con. I love it. No more of those sardine cans for me ever again.
pony was a classic and epitomized korean industrialization at the time. if you get a chance to drop by the samsung car museum it’s well worth the while. there’s a mint condition pony there that’s really fascinating to see. and if that doesn’t tickle your fancy there’s a mint shelby…