Hyundai: How to turn a used car into an $80,000 luxury ride

 

 

 

 

 

20-year-old beat up Hyundai SUV isn't anyone's idea of a dream car.

But used Hyundai Gallopers, priced between $2,000 to $3,000 at second-hand car markets, are making a comeback -- reborn as upwards $80,000 luxury vehicles at the hand of former furniture designer Henie Kim.

Kim -- now the CEO of Mohenic Garages, a car rebuilding company based in Paju -- has transformed the boxy classic into one of South Korea's most highly-desired cars.

"As a former designer, I wanted make everything perfect."

Design process

The remade "Mohenic G", as they're known, take their design cues from the 1990s and come in a variety of custom colors from "mint racing green" to "midnight cerulean blue".

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Demand for the "Mohenic G" has steadily risen, and the waitlist is long. Since 2013, only 43 cars have been rebuilt and 48 customers are on a waiting list.

Production is slow -- though since the company expanded, they're able to produce 30 cars a year, or about 2 cars a month. A team of two dozen workers transform each car in a meticulous process that includes prying the car cabin from its frame, sanding, removing corrosive substances, polishing and painting.