A dedicated son has converted his dad’s old Volkswagen Razorback van into a shiny pick-up after spending £2,000 on the renovation.
Chris Hoar bought the van – believed to be one of only 16 left in Britain – from his father two years ago for £300.
The 31-year-old and his wife Sammy, 30, decided to renovate the van, which had been in the family for years.
The former engineer said the van was rusty, had holes and was starting to turn green when he took ownership of it.
The van, bought from his 62-year-old father Dave Hoar, is now for sale, despite the Plymouth family being delighted with the ‘beautiful’ result.
Chris Hoar bought the van from his father for £300 two years ago when it had holes in it
The van had been in the family for more than ten years, but had sat unused for years
The former engineer said the van was rusty, had holes and was starting to turn green
Although the family is happy with the ‘beautiful’ result, the van is now for sale
Statistics from automotive website ‘How Many Left’ say there are currently only 16 Razorback vans tax registered in Britain.
The van had been in the family for more than a decade, but after sitting unused for years it was available as a project.
That’s why Mr. and Mrs. Hoar decided four months ago to renovate the van.
They are now enthusiastic about the ‘nice’ results, but will sell it due to other commitments.
Mr Hoar, a former engineer turned content creator, said: “The van has sat untouched for more than a decade.
“It’s always been something I thought would be a good project.
“My dad said he was going to get rid of the van, but I said I wanted it. I couldn’t let it be demolished.
“It’s been a real-time adventure, to say the least.”
Mr Hoar and his wife, also a content creator, set about getting it roadworthy again.
Mr Hoar and his wife, also a content creator, set about getting it roadworthy again
Statistics from ‘How Many Left’ website say only 16 Razorback vans are taxable in Britain
They painted it green and turned it into a pickup, replacing the brakes and renovating the interior, but the van is being put up for sale because it doesn’t suit their lifestyle.
They painted it green and converted it into a pickup, including replacing the brakes and renovating the interior.
Mr Hoar said: ‘I’ve always loved a VW van; it always looked so cool.
‘I know it’s unique for a lot of people. It has a hydraulic floor system in the rear of the van.
‘When we bought it it had holes in it, it was moldy and it was rusting. We had to renovate everything.
‘I replaced the brakes, flushed the engine, installed a new air filter and restored many of the original features.
‘We kept the interior the same, but we may have restored it if necessary.
‘I always wanted it to look like a pick-up truck, because they really appeal to me.
“I took the roof off and it’s now much more of a pickup than a commercial vehicle.”
His wife said: ‘We knew she needed a lot of work.
‘So we took her for an MOT early in the process to see if she was fully written off or not.
‘The guys in the garage said, ‘She’s in such good shape’ – so that motivated us.
“She has 96,000 miles on the odometer, which is good for a van her age.”
But the couple can’t keep the van and are putting it up for sale.
Mrs Hoar said: ‘We would like to keep her.
“But with our lifestyle and all the traveling we do, she won’t get the use she deserves.
‘We’re going to put her up for sale soon.
“But we’re not ready for the day when that comes, because she’s beautiful.
“Everyone who comes to see her asks how we are going to handle it if we let her go.”
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on it, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow a commercial relationship to compromise our editorial independence.