There is something romantic about Hyundai’s most recent and futuristic concept, with more than a hint of “back to the future”. Starting with the name, Hyundai N Vision 74, as we will see later through the testimony of SangYup Lee, design manager of the Korean firm. Let’s face it right away: it is a supercar whose production has\u00a0 not yet been foreseen, as for now it is defined by its designers as \u201ca lab on four wheels.\u201d It is understandable: it is an FC hybrid, that is, with a fuel cell. In short, hydrogen. Let’s go back to its name. N stands for the brand born seven years ago and which characterizes high-performance Hyundai cars, a bit like AMG at Mercedes. The explanation for that number 74 comes directly from Lee: \u201cIts futuristic design reflects the respect and appreciation we have for the dedication and passion poured into the Pony Coup\u00e9 concept.\u201d A concept, it must be said immediately, that Hyundai decided not to mass produce. Here is born the romantic connection with that number 74.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Hyundai](\"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022110902_HyundaiNVision74.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>A legacy with Giorgetto Giugiaro<\/strong><\/span> The \u201cpiano di forma\u201d discovery<\/strong><\/span> From the Pony Coupe to the N Vision 74<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnd Lee explains it well. “It is the story of our identity and our DNA. 1974 is the year in which the Pony was born, the first independent car born in Korea. It was also the year in which the first series of the Volkswagen Golf was born, with a profile very similar to the Pony. No mystery: both models were designed by the maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro, in what was and remains the most functional monocoque design, heir to the Bauhaus design philosophy. If the current Golf and our Ioniq 5 look alike, it is because they are heirs of those two ancestors.”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nMore recently, Hyundai designers have found a \u201cpiano di forma\u201d, plan of shape, of the Pony Coup\u00e9 in the firm\u2019s archives. The date February 18, 1977: the proof that the project had not been immediately abandoned. It became clear that Hyundai founder Chung Ju-Yung, convinced that a high-performance car was essential in the development of an international brand, had commissioned not one but two cars from Giugiaro. If nothing came of it, it was due to the opposition of the sales department, to some technical limitations, perhaps also to a political brake in a Korea which was rigorously starting its development.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nYears went by and in 1981, seven years after that Turin show, the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 is born. Very similar – almost identical, some say – to the Pony Coup\u00e9. \u201cOf course\u201d, Lee smiles: \u201cAlso this one designed by Giugiaro. The car that we had not been able to produce, now born with another brand.\u201d From the Pony Coup\u00e9 to the DeLorean to the N Vision 74, which is not just a tribute to the past but a road beast. 4.95 meters long, 1.99 wide and 1.33 high, with a wheelbase of 2.90, it has the appearance and substance of a premium granturismo, with two electric motors delivering 500 kW (680 horsepower), a maximum speed of over 250 kph and a range of at least 600 km.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>