In 1974, Hyundai launched its first concept car: the Pony Coupe. Although they only built one model, its forward-thinking design inspired many cars, even the iconic Delorean from Back to the Future. But despite its influence, the original model got lost.

Fast forward to 2023: Hyundai decided to remake this legendary car, with its original designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. Our challenge was to tell today’s car enthusiasts about it whilst paying tribute to the brand’s heritage.

So we gave the Pony Coupe its first ever ad: the one that it should have had back in the seventies. The long-copy print ad was carefully crafted with all the details synonymous with ads of the era. To give today’s car enthusiasts a dose of the golden age of automotive advertising.

To create a print ad that felt like it could have been made in 1974, we not only replicated the style and layout of ads from the era, but also layered it with contemporary techniques to evoke an authentic vintage feel.

The layout mirrors a classic format of long-copy ads: a large headline, two columns of text and a central image. The headline acts as the ad’s main attention-grabber. Garamond Condensed, a serif typeface typical of the era, was used for both the headline and the body copy - formatted with elongated spaces and refined kerning.

A black-and-white image of the new, remade Pony Coupe reflects the photography style of the time, featuring a darkened backdrop and natural vignette. Post-production techniques add texture to create an analog feel when printed with today’s printers.

Finally, the print showcases Hyundai's original logo, which hasn't been used for over 40 years.

The goal was to get today's car enthusiasts to connect to Hyundai's brand heritage - by leaning into their love for those old school automotive ads.

To reach our target audience, we selected six international, contemporary and classic car magazines: Auto Express, EVO, CAR magazine, Octane, Magneto, and Classic & Sports Car. Through these publications we reached a readership of 186,000 global car enthusiasts.

By leaning into this nostalgic style of art direction and copywriting, the ad encourages today's car lovers to engage with Hyundai's heritage. In doing so, highlighting how forward-thinking design has been a key part of Hyundai’s DNA since their very first models.