Hyundai today unveiled the latest addition to its rolling lab technological experimentation collection, the N Vision 74. Inspired by a car that never was, it shows what Hyundai’s engineers are dreaming up for the future. It pays homage to the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe, a concept car that was designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro. The fledgling automaker’s vision of what a sports car might have looked like in the mid-1970s, it never actually ended up making it into production.

The company is now atoning for that error with this new retrofuturistic model. Part concept car, part technological showcase, we think it could best be referred to as a high concept car, because it’s not just a design exercise, it also demonstrates futuristic sci-fi technology that the company’s engineers are hoping to transform into sci-reality.

To wit, the N Vision 74 is powered by a hybrid hydrogen powertrain that combines a battery-electric drive system and a hydrogen fuel cell. The automaker says that, thanks to the setup, the car benefits from excellent cooling efficiency, while also providing two different drive systems depending on conditions. Although that sounds pretty complicated, Hyundai claims it can lead to better torque vectoring for superior traction and what it calls “cornering experiences,” which these images would suggest means drifting.

 

That system also has practical applications, the company claims. With a hydrogen fuel tank that can be refilled in five minutes and a 62.4 kWh battery pack capable of 800V fast-charging, the N Vision 74 has a range of 600 km. That, despite having motors that churn out 670 hp and 900 Nm of torque and a top speed of 250 km/h. Hyundai says that, like the rest of the car, the interior attempts to balance the legacy of the original Pony Concept with the modernity of its powertrain. Described as a “driver-centric cockpit,” it blends old-school analogue buttons with a digital instrument cluster.

The latest rolling labs model, previous examples, like the RM14, RM15, and RM19 were used to validate technology that would eventually be found in N models. The RM20e, meanwhile, was the brand’s first electric high concept car and the N Vision 74 along with the RN22e continue that low emission legacy.