Photo: Facebook / Retro RV
The ongoing health crisis has changed the way we think about family holidays, and will continue to alter our choices for the foreseeable future. Road trips, camping and glamping are proving safer and more convenient vacation alternatives, and what’s more suited for one such holiday than a retro van?
One man from Australia is hoping his work will inspire fellow Aussies (and not only) to opt for a motorhome when planning for their vacation – and he’s working hard to help them to one. Not only will they get to spend more quality time with the fam, but they will also be able to explore more of their wonderful country.
Phil Hoken, through his recently-founded Retro RV business, is offering fully-restored and original-looking VW Kombis (officially known as Kombinationskraftwagen, combination motor vehicle). His first project, a 1975 Volkswagen Jurgen Autovilla van showed him there’s a future in this type of restoration work: the pile of rusted metal cost him $5,000, to which he added seven months of work and another $30,000 in materials.
He recently sold the restored VW for $60,000 at an online auction, some 17 hours after he posted the ad, the Daily Mail Australia reports. Plus, response online has been so great that he was motivated to buy three more Kombis, on which he’s working right now.
The first one was a pain in the neck, he explains. That’s because, as noted above, the van was a pile of rusty metal and rotten timber, so he had his work cut out for him tearing it down and building it again. The resto was done with the goal of maintaining not just the retro exterior, but also the original position of everything. So, while it now has a double bed, a toilet and kitchen with hidden appliances, it still looks like the OG did back in the ‘70s, when it still roamed the roads Down Under.
“One issue we had to overcome was the unreliable engine of the Kombi van and another problem was the rotten timber frame on the side,” Hoken explains. “We swapped the conventional engine and replaced it with an EJ20 Subaru Forester engine, and the result was great. We also had to re-do the entire timber frame and replace it with new wood.”
The result was one that pleased nostalgics but also appealed to more modern travelers, because it was practical for the open road. Hoken hopes his current projects will turn out just as fine, and he’s sharing progress on them on social media, waiting for feedback.
Phil Hoken, through his recently-founded Retro RV business, is offering fully-restored and original-looking VW Kombis (officially known as Kombinationskraftwagen, combination motor vehicle). His first project, a 1975 Volkswagen Jurgen Autovilla van showed him there’s a future in this type of restoration work: the pile of rusted metal cost him $5,000, to which he added seven months of work and another $30,000 in materials.
He recently sold the restored VW for $60,000 at an online auction, some 17 hours after he posted the ad, the Daily Mail Australia reports. Plus, response online has been so great that he was motivated to buy three more Kombis, on which he’s working right now.
The first one was a pain in the neck, he explains. That’s because, as noted above, the van was a pile of rusty metal and rotten timber, so he had his work cut out for him tearing it down and building it again. The resto was done with the goal of maintaining not just the retro exterior, but also the original position of everything. So, while it now has a double bed, a toilet and kitchen with hidden appliances, it still looks like the OG did back in the ‘70s, when it still roamed the roads Down Under.
“One issue we had to overcome was the unreliable engine of the Kombi van and another problem was the rotten timber frame on the side,” Hoken explains. “We swapped the conventional engine and replaced it with an EJ20 Subaru Forester engine, and the result was great. We also had to re-do the entire timber frame and replace it with new wood.”
The result was one that pleased nostalgics but also appealed to more modern travelers, because it was practical for the open road. Hoken hopes his current projects will turn out just as fine, and he’s sharing progress on them on social media, waiting for feedback.
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