Former India captain MS Dhoni’s love for cars and bikes is well known; he is reported to own more than 100 bikes and cars in his massive garage. MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, also has a soft corner for vintage vehicles and loves to collect them in numbers. One of which he has bought recently is a vintage Land Rover Series III from an auction that happened at Big Boy Toyz. Land Rover sold the Series 3 from 1971 to 1985.
However, that Land Rover was refurbished heavily before being put out to be sold. The makeover to that beauty was given by The Classic Garage. The SUV is 52-year old and it was in rough shape before restoration.
It is a 1974 Land Rover that the garage had received three years back. It took two years to complete the restoration. The base frame of a car, known as chassis, was plucked out and all the body panels were inspected for rust.
Then the panels with rust were replaced with new ones, so were the grille, the front lights, and the rearview mirrors. The plates, though, are still original; they were cleaned, polished and repainted. The iconic car is finished in yellow colour with a white roof.
A look at this rare beast will take you back in the 20th century. Just like any old SUV, it is boxy and squared-off. Up-front, there are circular headlamps, running lamps and turn indicators. There is a square grille that we have seen on old Land Rovers. Also, there is a steel bumper and the spare tyre has also been placed on the bonnet.
There are hinges of the doors and there are also side steps to help the occupants get in and get out easily. Large windows lighten up the car. We can also see “Safari Windows” that used to be on the old Land Rovers. The tailgate is flat and it opens sideways. Six people – three in the front and three at the rear – can be seated at once.
MS Dhoni also owns a lot of other vintage vehicles. He has two American Muscle cars, Pontiac Firebird TransAm and a 1969 Ford Mustang, along with a Nissan 1 Ton pick-up Truck. The former India skipper had also restored a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith last year.
MS Dhoni will be soon seen on the cricket field, leading the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022.
