Son spends four months and £2k renovating dad's rare van - with stunning results

A son spent four months and £2k transforming his dad's old van - believed to be one of just 16 left in Britain - into a gleaming pick-up.

Chris Hoar, 31, bought the Volkswagen Razorback from dad Dave Hoar, 62, for £300 two years ago.

The van has been in the family for more than a decade but, having sat unused for years prior, was available as a project.

Stats from car website 'How Many Left' say just 16 Razorback vans are tax-registered in Britain at the moment.

Chris and wife Sammy, 30, from Plymouth, decided to commit to renovating the van four months ago.

And they are now thrilled with the "beautiful" results - but will be selling it on due to other commitments.

Chris, a former engineer turned content creator, said: "The van has been sat untouched for more than a decade.

"It has always been something that 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 scrapped.

"It's been a real-time adventure, to say the least."

Chris said the van was rusty, had holes in and was starting to go green when he took ownership of it.

So he and Sammy, also a content creator, set about making it roadworthy again.

They painted it green and turned it into a pick-up truck, also replacing the brakes and renovating the interior.

Chris said: "I have always loved a VW van - it always looked so cool.

"I know it is unique to a lot of people, It has a hydraulic floor system in the back of the van.

"When we bought it it had holes in, was mouldy and had been rusting. We had to renovate everything.

"I replaced the brakes, flushed the engine through, added a new air filter and restored a lot of the original features.

"We have kept the interior the same - we have restored it if anything.

"I always wanted it to look like a pick-up truck as they really appeal to me.

"I took the roof off and it is much more of a pick-up truck now, than a commercial vehicle."

Sammy said: "We knew she needed a lot of work.

"So we took her down for an MOT early on in the process to see if she was a complete write-off or not.

"The guys in the garage were like, 'she is in such good condition' - so that motivated us.

"She has 96,000 miles on her which is good for a van of her age."

Sammy and Chris are unable to keep the van and will be putting it on sale.

She said: "We would love to keep her.

"But with our lifestyle and all the travelling we do, she is not going to get the use she deserves.

"We are going to put her on for sale soon.

"But we are not ready for the day when that comes, as she is beautiful.

"Everyone who comes to see her asks how we are going to cope with letting her go."

People can watch their journey on TikTok at the @the_travel_duo and YouTube on @thetravelduo_