Leading Caribbean hotel group, Sandals Resorts International, announced the renovation project on the vehicle earlier this year. With their sister company, ATL Automotive in Montego Bay, Jamaica, restoring the car to mint condition, improvements include locating a replacement engine from an Ethiopian military vehicle that perfectly matched the original engine with Bob's first born daughter, Cedella Marley, leading the reupholstering of the interior.
Rohan Marley, son of the reggae legend, expressed his elation for the piece-by-piece removal process as one that took careful planning and execution.
"We are very happy with the work that has transpired so far in restoring our dad's car to its original condition. It has been a very technical process to locate all the parts from various countries, including an original 1977 engine from Ethiopia. We look forward to completing this project with the ATL Group in early 2013," he explains.
The two-month-long project has been one long in the making that is sure to give visitors a treat when they next visit the museum after the Land Rover's total re-form.
According to Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals and ATL "there are few people in the world who Bob Marley hasn't inspired through his music so it is only right that we ensure that his legacy continues for years to come… It's a tremendous honour to help return such an extraordinary automobile to its former glory."
International Reggae sensation, Julian Marley, son of the Reggae King, recalls his fondest memories of the vehicle as him always loving his father's Land Rover. "I remember driving in it from where my family lived, to nearby Hope Road and from Kingston to Nine Miles, St Ann (in North Eastern Jamaica) where my father was born," he reminisced.
Marley was regularly seen driving his Land Rover around the streets of Kingston, the city that inspired such hits as 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Three Little Birds' and 'I Shot the Sheriff' using it to transport his famous band, The Wailers, and their equipment to gigs throughout Jamaica.
Check out these time-lapse videos to see what's taking place
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