A restored Volkswagen Kombi bus sold at auction this week for a staggering $202,000 at a south-east Melbourne collectibles auction.
The 23-window vehicle, believed to be just one of three delivered to Australia in this configuration, sparked a bidding war at the Shannons Auctions in Cheltenham Monday night, according to the auction house.
The Kombi was introduced in 1950, though it was nicknamed the "Hippie Van" about 10 years later due to its popularity in the counterculture movement.
Production for the vehicle stopped in 2013 due to environmental legislation and since then they've become a desired collector's item among automotive enthusiasts.
The bus auctioned off has been through $100,000 worth of restoration over half a decade. Since then it has won a number of awards like the President's Choice and Best in Class at Day of the Volkswagens competition.
Auction manager Christophe Boribon said the restoration process involved the entire car, according to the Daily Mail Australia.
"They redid the body, paint, interior and mechanicals. It was a complete rebuild," he said to the publication. "The van is now presented in two-tone period colors of Paprika and White with a contrasting tan upholstery."
The vehicle also features a four-speed manual transmission and 1.6-liter flat-4, a retractable fabric roof and the Samba's signature split, opening front windows.
Bidding for the bus started at $100,000, according to Boribon.
Between several hundred internet and phone bidders and a crowd of nearly 600 on the floor, prices rose to $150,000.
A phone bidder wound up winning the bus. While six figure sales aren't uncommon, the highest price paid to date was $217,800 for a 1963 23 Window model at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2011, including a buyers fee.
"There was quite a lot of commotion in the room once it reached $150,000," Boribon said. "The bidding slowed down from there, but it kept going back and forth until it reached $202,000."
The sale comes after a restored Kombi auctioned off for $74,000 in late December.
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