Land Rover Series I 80in (RIL 188)
This piece depicts the oldest Land Rover Motodrome have handled to date — a 1949 Series I, built on the original 80-inch wheelbase and powered by the early 1.6-litre petrol engine. I travelled with Simon from Motodrome to north Norfolk to see the vehicle in person before he considered adding it to his eclectic stock. What we found was a beautifully restored example, cared for with genuine affection and retaining the purity and simplicity that define the earliest Land Rovers.
The artwork is painted with a wash of burnt orange, echoing the dramatic sunsets that roll across the north Norfolk coastline. That warm glow is set deliberately against the cool bronze-green of the vehicle’s bodywork, creating a contrast between the softness of the sky and the utilitarian lines of the Series I. Its distinctive details — the narrow grille, upright stance, canvas rear, and unmistakable early proportions — are captured with a contemporary watercolour looseness, allowing the drips and textures to mirror the vehicle’s rugged honesty.
This painting celebrates not only the engineering origins of the Land Rover lineage, but also the quiet emotional weight of discovering a machine that has survived and been restored, but retained its original patina.
