1970s Hyundai Pony Restored with EV Powertrain.

• Hyundai has created a one-off design concept based on a model from the 1970s. The first-generation Pony was a significant car in Hyundai's history. The restomod creation has an electric powertrain and modern design touches.

The very first independently developed model Pony designed by the Italian designer Giogetto Giugiaro was manufactured in 1976.

Pony made its first debut at the 1974 Torino Motor Show in Italy, before it was finally revealed and succeeded in domestically producing 90% of all automobile parts in 1976.

Hyundai designers disassembled an actual first-generation car and added modern headlights, taillights, and even nixie-tube instrumentation inside.

A restomod variation of a first-generation Hyundai Pony, called the Hyundai Pony Heritage EV, fitted with an unspecified electric powertrain and ultra-modern head- and taillights was made in 2023.

Hyundai Pony Heritage EV also has camera-based, fender-mounted exterior mirrors and nixie-tube instrumentation that's both retro and futuristic and epitomizes the height of 1970s style.

The project was led by Hyundai's interior chief designer Hak Soo Ha. It is not simply a retro design "inspired" by the 1970s, but the real thing: Hyundai took an actual first-generation car, disassembled it, and added the artistic touches and the EV powertrain.

The Hyundai Pony Heritage EV is not just a testament to the creative spirit at Hyundai Design under the leadership of Luc Donckerwolke, it is also an homage to Giorgio Giugiaro.

Almost 49 years after its debut at the 1974 Turin auto show, it took just a few modifications to make the Pony look cooler and more contemporary than ever.