There are lot of new electric vehicles being launched this week, but this time traveller from 1975 might be the coolest of the lot. Shame it’s a one-off.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 marries the company’s new electric vehicle architecture with a retro-futuristic take on the Pony, Hyundai’s first car vehicle which wasn’t a licensed copy of another automaker’s model.
And to celebrate this, the company’s design department has come up with a fitting tribute: a restomod Pony with modern details and an EV drivetrain.
Sadly the company has yet to reveal the restomod’s power, torque and range figures.
In addition to restoring a Pony to factory fresh condition, Hyundai’s design department have given the three-door a number of 21st century details.
These include new LED head- and tail-lights which are directly inspired by the units on the Ioniq 5 – talk about a design going full circle.
Also, the mirrors mounted to the front fenders are actually disguised camera pods. Other changes include modern flourishes for the bumpers and wheels.
Inside, the Pony has also been given a significant upgrade with a cold cathode numerical or Nixie tube display ahead of the driver, exposed metal surfaces, piano black lacquer finishes, and a flat-bottom steering wheel.
The restomod is part of the Pony Heritage Series, and according to Car and Driver the team behind the car was led by Hak Soo Ha, Hyundai’s head of interior design.
Yang gu-rum, a designer at Genesis, said in a personal blog post: “Pony is first production car of Hyundai. So It’s means a lot for Hyundai. And I keep the Pony’s design DNA and little added modern things.”
If you’re reading this and live in South Korea, the Pony EV restomod is currently on display at the Hyundai Motorstudio in Busan until the end of June.
