![rust to riches rust to riches](https://www.rcnmag.com/resources/images/Rust-to-Riches-17.jpeg)
“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. 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.
![rust to riches rust to riches](https://static1.hotcarsimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/_Car-Masters-Season-3.jpg)
The resto was done with the goal of maintaining not just the retro exterior, but also the original position of everything. 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 first one was a pain in the neck, he explains. Plus, response online has been so great that he was motivated to buy three more Kombis, on which he’s working right now. 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. 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. 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). 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. 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.