ED SHEERAN’S RANGE ROVER

It’s a Range Rover, of course. But not any old Range Rover, as Dave Phillips explains

The original Range Rover had a remarkable production run of over 25 years. By the end of that quarter of a century, Land Rover’s capable engineers knew everything there was to know about the model which, by then, was known as the Range Rover Classic. No wonder, then, that the very last 25 Range Rovers off the line were extra special. And no wonder Ed Sheeran fell in love with one.

Back in the early 1960s a pop phenomenon swept the world that was so great they had a name for it: Beatlemania. Now, more half a century on, even the achievements of The Beatles have been overshadowed by a shy, red-haired lad from Suffolk whose thoughtful, self-effacing songs have struck a chord with a new generation.

At the time of writing, Ed’s songs fill nine of the top ten spots in what was, in the days of the mop-haired fab four, known as the hit parade. In fact, they occupy 16 places in the UK top twenty.

All those songs were from his latest album, named simply “÷” [division]. All are self-penned masterpieces, but the most poignant of the lot is called The Castle on the Hill, an honest portrayal of growing up in the quiet town of Framlingham, Suffolk. The video of the song stars Ed, the castle that dominates the town and a stunning blue Range Rover Classic.

Ed chose the vehicle himself for the video – and no wonder, it represents the very best of arguably the finest luxury car Land Rover ever built. It belongs to noted Range Rover collector and restorer, Rob Marsden.

“It all began last autumn,” says Rob. “A production guy from Atlantic Records paid me a visit and asked to have a look at my Range Rovers. I was happy to show him round, but I didn’t hear anything until a couple of weeks later, when he rang to ask whether he could hire one for a television film they were making. I emailed him back with a pdf of a couple of nice ones and a day or two later he got back to me and said which one he’d chosen.”

It is easy to see why he made that choice. In 1995, to mark the end of production of a model that had reigned supreme for a quarter of a century, Land Rover decided that the last 25 vehicles would be extra special limited editions, known as the 25th Anniversary Editions. Rob’s Classic was officially No 23 of the 25, but its VIN number shows that it was the second from last to leave the production line at Lode Lane on October 3, 1995.

The following day it left Solihull for the showroom of Mayfair, London, dealership Stratstones, where it soon caught the eye of the owner of an upmarket property management company in W1. They bought it at the end of February 1996 and used it to ferry potential customers to and from Heathrow Airport.

How the chauffeur-driven Range Rover must have impressed those sheiks, and all the other wealthy movers and shakers, who had come to Mayfair and Park Lane to play a real life game of Monopoly. If anything stated Britishness and effortless, sumptuous luxury it was the

“If anything stated Britishness and effortless, sumptuous luxury it was the original Range Rover”

original Range Rover – and those final 25th Anniversary Edition models were the ultimate Classics.

“By the time I bought it in October 2010, from a chap in Epsom, Surrey, it had done 118,000 miles, but it had been really well looked after. There was only a tiny spot of rust in the boot floor, which I soon sorted out,” says Rob. “It still had its original Stratstones number plates, front and rear, plus window sticker. The only visible damage was slightly kerbed wheels, which you expect from a vehicle that had spent its life in London.”

But to all intents and purposes, the gleaming Range Rover looked immaculate and the deal to use it for the television film with Atlantic went ahead. But in the six years he’d owned it, Rob had never actually driven the Range Rover, instead placing it in his heated storage building.

“I had to take off the covers, check it over and take it for an MOT. It passed without any advisories,” he recalls.

It wasn’t until Rob was doing the paperwork for the insurance company that he realised who would be driving his Range Rover. “I needed a copy of the driving licences of whoever would be driving it and I got the shock of my life when I received a photocopy of Ed Sheeran’s licence.

“Of course I was really excited – I’m a huge music fan and have massive respect for Ed – and I was thrilled that he had picked my car, but I couldn’t tell anybody at the time because I had to keep a lid on it. It doesn’t take long for news like that to get around and they couldn’t have done the filming if he’d been mobbed.”

The filming took place on December 19 to 20. To keep the Oxford Blue paintwork looking immaculate, Rob loaded it onto a trailer and covered it with travel blankets, securely held down with two rolls of gaffer tape. He drove down to Suffolk the night before, as filming was due to start at the crack of dawn.

Sure enough, the next day, Rob turned up at the agreed rendezvous before 7.30 am. It was still almost dark, but in the gloom he was surprised to find a crew of between 20 and 30 cameramen, sound recordists, production assistants and, of course, the man himself.

“Ed was very patient as I explained to him how to adjust the height of the seat,” says Rob. “The Range Rover was driven onto a low-loader for the filming. The producer had decided that Ed wouldn’t actually drive it, as he wanted him to project himself to camera without worrying about crashing my car. The Range Rover was stationary on the low-loader as it drove around, but on the video it looks like Ed was driving.

“There were two cameras – one in front and one to the side, and held in place by scaffolding. I was expecting them to be digital, but they were huge 35mm film cameras. The producer told me they were the same type used on the Batman movies.

“It is thought that he [Ed Sheeran] fell in love with the Classic during his childhood”

“It was fascinating to watch all these people working as a team. They were really nice and I was proud to be part of it. Ed is a smashing person, he is just the same as he comes across on television or on his videos. He was really natural and polite. He even apologised for getting the Range Rover a bit muddy. He was a pleasure to work with.”

On day two of the shoot, the Range Rover came off the low-loader and Rob did the driving, taking his pride and joy along the twisting Suffolk lanes that Ed describes so well in Castle on the Hill: ‘I’m on my way, driving at ninety down those country lanes, singing to Tiny Dancer, and I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real, we watched the sunset over the castle on the hill.’

Rob, of course, avoided doing 90 mph in the Range Rover, although the lusty 3.9 V8 petrol could easily have done so. But he did get to drive past that famous castle on the hill, as well as plenty of other locations, with a cameraequipped drone overhead, following him.

“The drone was made of carbon fibre and was massive – it had to be, because it was carrying a large camera. There was two days of shootfing, and obviously a lot had to be left out in a short pop video, but it was great to see. I really enjoyed it,” says Rob.

Rob enjoyed it so much he returned a few weeks later to drive those same lanes, for the pictures you see on these pages. But this time there was no low-loader and Rob did the driving himself, although he did park up outside Framlingham Castle for a few shots of an Ed Sheeran lookalike, who had appeared in the video portraying a teenage Ed Sheeran. Amazingly, Ed’s double is Hugo Fairbanks Weston, grandson of a certain Douglas Fairbanks Jnr, a movie star of the 1930s and ’40s who was the original Zorro and every bit as famous as Ed in his day. Needless to say, Hugo also fell in love with Rob’s Classic.

This time the Oxford Blue paintwork did get a bit splattered with mud. And in case you’re wondering how come a Range Rover Classic got painted in Oxford Blue – a colour usually reserved for second-generation Range Rover P38s – that’s because it was an option only available on those last 25 Classics, which makes Rob’s vehicle even more special.

“What I love most about it is it’s totally original,” says Rob. It has the original Goodyear Wrangler tyres, as well as side steps with integrated front mud flaps, which are very rare. There are also front and rear light guards and a swing away dog guard – all factory-fitted Genuine Parts.”

Inside, there are plush Wilton carpets as well as light stone leather upholstery and headrests embroidered with the 25th Anniversary logos. There is also a numbered plaque on the transmission tunnel and, outside, special badges on the front wings.

It is a mystery why Ed Sheeran requested a Range Rover Classic for his video, although it is thought that he fell in love with the Classic during his boyhood. He would certainly have seen plenty on the Suffolk lanes back then.

This particular Range Rover may see even more of those lanes, as Ed fell in love with it. Says Rob: “He said he might consider buying it. I’ve given him first refusal, but I haven’t heard anything back yet.”

If the multitalented Mr Sheeran does turn down the opportunity to buy this remarkable Range Rover, there are sure to be plenty of other would-be buyers.