A Restomod Of Considerable Grandeur That The Korean Carmaker Has Conceived

Images: Hyundai

To celebrate the 35^th anniversary of its flagship model, the Grandeur, Hyundai unveiled a new concept based on the first-generation version but electrified and much modified.

After Hyundai showcased the Pony Heritage Series concept earlier this year in April, the Grandeur is the second such “concept,” which is a sort of “retrofit” of the original. This time, it is based on the Grandeur, which was a rebadged Mitsubishi Debonair that the young South Korean carmaker started making at its Ulsan facilities in 1986.

To celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the Grandeur, the Korean manufacturer chose to modernize and electrify an example of the first generation. “Hyundai Motor Company is celebrating the 35^th anniversary of its 1986 Grandeur flagship sedan with an electrifying retro-futuristic resto-mod,” mentions the press release from the carmaker. “Hyundai developed the Heritage Series Grandeur to shed light on the original sedan’s symbolic significance and find new inspiration for future designs.”

The base chosen is a black Grandeur from the end of the 1980s, which has been completely revised with a new chrome grille, pixel-style optics as seen in the Ioniq 5 or the futuristic concept, the Hyundai Seven. The hubcaps and mirrors have also been redesigned, and the car uses a lot of chrome on its very angular lines.

It is inside that the change is most radical. The interior has been completely redesigned with burgundy velvet and leather on the seats, as well as a new jet airliner-like gear lever in the shape of a handle. A double screen integrating digital meters and the multimedia system is placed on the top of the dashboard, behind a unique single spoke steering wheel.

The press release elaborates: “Hyundai’s design team reinterpreted the first-generation Grandeur as an all-electric car with the Parametric Pixel exterior lighting that distinguishes its new Ioniq 5 production model and an ultra-modern interior wrapped in burgundy velvet and Napa leather.”

Some of the unusual features include a piano placed on a screen at the bottom of the central console, a mini safe in the armrest to hide your watch, as well as an orange mood lighting on the ceiling called “infinity mirror,” all of which contribute to making this concept a really combining one, which integrates the past with modernity.

The designers incorporated a sound system developed by South Korean sound designer Guk-il Yu that controls the 18 speakers. The soundbar’s piano function can be played through the audio system when the vehicle is in park.

“As our designers conceive the future, it’s important to look back on what we’ve created in the past and find inspiration in it,” Hak-soo Ha, the head of the Interior Group of the Hyundai Design Centre, was quoted as saying, adding, “With the Heritage Series Grandeur, our designers have reinterpreted an important part of Hyundai’s history as a wonderfully unique blend of vintage and contemporary that reflects the boundless possibilities of our EV era.”

Under the hood, on the other hand, it is completely modern. But Hyundai does not mention anything on the technical aspects, except that it features an electric drive, just like the Pony concept. Hyundai's Heritage Series, which now has a second concept, is expected to be supplemented later with other historic models from the brand. It is rumored that the Galloper, Hyundai's first SUV launched in 1991, will be the next “restomod” for the Korean carmaker.