Above: Bob Marley’s Land Rover
By the Caribbean Journal staff
In time for the 70th anniversary of the birth of Bob Marley, the Land Rover Defender the music superstar once owned has now been restored.
The matte-blue 1977 Series III Land Rover has been completely restored “from clutch to chassis,” thanks to efforts by Sandals Resorts International and its Jamaican affiliate car chain ATL Automotive, which distributes Land Rovers in the region.
“Bob really raised the profile of our nation of Jamaica and we felt the greatest gift we could give to him was to restore his original Land Rover to its former glory,” said Sandals CEO Adam Stewart. “Marley’s Land Rover is one of the most famous vehicles in automotive history and we were delighted when the opportunity arose to be a part of its restoration. For us it has been an unbelievable privilege working with the entire Marley family and to reunite them with the same vehicle they rode around in as children is something we were only too pleased to do.”
Above: the “before” shot of the vehicle
The vehicle had fallen into a state of disrepair after Marley died 30 years ago.
The project, which first launched in 2013, also had some other special details — like sourcing the engine from Ethopia and hand-crafting other parts.
“Our journey to restoring this vehicle took us to some places where Marley himself had strong ties making the project even meaningful,” Stewart said.
Above: the Cedella Marley-designed interior
The Land Rover was first stripped down to its shell and then rebuild piece-by-piece, according to ATL.
The Land Rover will now be returned to Marley’s former home, now a museum, at 56 Hope Road in Kingston.
“In this 70th year, the Defender’s return to its home is in perfect timing as we celebrate all aspects of our father Bob Marley on his birthday February 6. The Marley Family thanks ATL,ITC and Sandals for this labour of love,” said Marley’s first-born daughter and fashion designer Cedella. “