Hyundai PassoCorto Looks Like It Came From Outer Space

Italian automotive design studios have an exquisite way of proving a point. Some of you might say that the Japanese are even better with the magic wand, but the Latin outfits have that certain je ne sais quoi in creating jaw-dropping fantasy machines.

We’ve stumbled upon a wicked-looking car at the Essen Motor Show and trust us, it rarely gets better than this in the world of concept cars. See that curious contraption in the gallery below? It wears Hyundai badges, but it wasn’t penned in Korea.

Originally presented in March at Geneva, the Hyundai PassoCorto is the effort of 16 students following an automotive design Master's course coordinated by Luca Borgogno, the lead designer at Carozzeria Pininfarina. This car encapsulates 70 and 30 percent, respectively, of the two winning designs submitted by the aforementioned team of young design talent.

Of course, the peeps from Hyundai’s Design Center in Europe financed Luca and his up-and-coming automotive design talents to make this thing happen. The Asian carmaker had a very brief debriefing with them - make a vehicle aimed at young people, who like to be always connected. Oomph, you ask?

Well, there’s a 1.6-liter rear-mid-mounted mill, which has been twin-turbocharged to produce 270 horsepower. It’s not much, but the 840 kg (1,852 pounds) mass and the four-pot engine make up for an impressive power-to-weight ratio. Don’t ask us about those four pieces of transparent duct tape at the rear. We’re very curious about those as well, but the Hyundai stand at Essen was... ahem... a bit isolated.

Hyundai PassoCorto Concept at the Essen Motor Show 2014 - photo gallery