Magnificent Malta
LRM attends the Malta Land Rover Club’s Land Rover Fest, celebrating Land Rover’s 70th birthday. Hip, hip hooray!
When I received a Facebook message from John Smith inviting me to attend the Malta Land Rover Owners Club’s Land Rover Fest, I decided to do a little more digging. It turned out his name was not really John Smith, that is the default name Facebook gives you when you open an account. His real name was Roderick Falzon, the energetic founder and former club president of the Malta Land Rover Owners Club.
“Come to Malta to see how we celebrate 70 years of Land Rover. We will look after you,” said Roderick. After a quick internet search revealing that I could get a return flight for less than £100, my decision was made.
The Malta Land Rover Owners Club was only founded in 2016 and today it has 161 members. Despite the fact that the island is just 27 km long and 14.5 km wide, the club keeps itself very busy with regular events including greenlaning and convoy drives. One of the more popular greenlaning trips is to the nearby Gozo Island, which is smaller than Malta, but the second largest of the 21 islands that make up the Maltese Archipelago.
I touch down at the Malta International Airport on a Friday evening, the day before the two-day Malta Land Rover Club’s Land Rover Fest 2018. After going through customs I see a bloke carrying a sign with my name on, it also has the LRM and Land Rover logos on. I feel a little like a celebrity. He introduces himself as Mario Gauci, the current president of the club. He is driving his mum’s white Range Rover Evoque and he tells me that he normally drives a Defender 90 and is currently restoring a 101 Forward Control.
Before we join the club’s committee for dinner he takes me on a short night tour. The highlight is without a doubt the Valletta Fortifications which were built by the Knights of St John after they very nearly lost the islands to the Ottoman Turks during the Great Siege of 1565. Another highlight is a stop at the local Land Rover dealership, though Mario informs me that they won’t be attending the festival because they probably won’t sell a car to the people that attend. What a sad attitude at a time when JLR are looking to develop and reintroduce parts for Land Rovers that they no longer produce. It is the enthusiasts who will be expected to buy these parts from dealerships just like this one.
After an enjoyable dinner next to the ocean with several key members of the club in attendance I retire to my hotel. The next morning I’m picked up by Michael Porter, who like me enjoys photographing Land Rovers. He drives a Defender 110 Tdi that has only recently been given a comprehensive makeover. In fact, it looks like one of the limited edition orange Adventure run-out models. Michael tells me that the traffic in Malta is notoriously bad and the government is currently busy trying to rectify the matter so there are roadworks everywhere.
Fortunately it is a quiet Saturday morning so it does not take us too long to get to Smart City, the venue for the Land Rover Fest. It’s best described as a huge unfinished office development. One of the car parks will be hosting the stalls and static displays while Roderick and his hard-working team have developed an off-road trail on an untouched yet overgrown part of the site. Diggers were used to create both an extreme and a regular trail that includes side-slopes, water, mud, rocks, cross-axles, steep inclines, steep declines and deep ruts. The rock garden is in the extreme section and it claims a few victims over the course of the weekend.
Some Defenders and older Discoverys, who all have lift kits, bigger tyres, improved suspension kits and capable drivers ,take on the extreme course. Marshals are on hand to guide them over the tough sections. The spectators cheer their approval.
“The oldest Land Rover at the show is a 1952 Series I that served in the military in Malta”
“I’ve been to a Land Rover show or two in my lifetime but seeing strongman Tony Farrugia in action is a first for me”
One of my favourite pastimes at a show is walking through the display areas and chatting to the owners of interesting Land Rovers. The oldest Land Rover at the two-day show is a 1952 Series I that served in the military in Malta. Today it belongs to the very proud and humble Kenneth Gauci. “I have lived in Malta all of my life. I’ve owned this Series I for about 15 years now and five of those were spent restoring it. It feels good to say that I drive one of the oldest Land Rovers in Malta.”
Richard Bonnici has also done something a little bit different to his Defender 90. He took the 4.0-litre V8 engine out of a Discovery 2 and put it into his Defender 90, along with the auto box. Then for good measure he painted it the same orange as the Freelander 2 when it first made its world debut in Morocco. I have to say that not only was it the bestsounding Land Rover in Malta, it also looked great.
I notice a Malta police Defender 90 and parked near it is another 90 owned by Matthew Fenech. He is a member of the Volunteer Emergency Fire Rescue Unit and he has kitted it out to support them in fire-fighting and rescue situations.
As with most other 2018 Land Rover events around the world, Roderick arranges all the Land Rovers to form the number 70 and a local TV cameraman sends a drone into the sky to capture it all.
I’ve been to a Land Rover show or two in my lifetime but seeing strongman Tony Farrugia in action is a first for me. He rolls up a cooking pan like it is a piece of paper, tears a phonebook in half and lifts a full-grown man up above his head with one arm. His final act is pulling two Defender 90s along with a recovery rope. I’m almost too scared to go and chat to him after his performance and I’m astounded to find out that he does not do any gym work! Most of his performances are done to raise money for charity. Speaking of which, all monies raised at the Malta Land Rover Fest are for the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been doing incredible work on the island since 1880. A cheque for 1500 euros is handed over to them after the event.
The Sunday is definitely busier and more blingy. I spot an Alive-tuned Defender 90 which was once on the cover of a rival mag. It has bits from various big players in the Defender trade. I somehow doubt that it has ever been off-road. I know of many Freelanders that have seen more action.
Once again the off-road course attracts the most attention. Hundreds of people jostle to get a good viewing position as drivers try and show off their driving skills. The event concludes with a display by the fire brigade. They have to cut the roof off a sedan to get the ‘injured’ Maltese driver out.
Everyone slowly starts to leave late afternoon. The weekend has been a massive success, raising a few pennies in the process for a good cause.
As Michael loads me up for the airport run I greet my new Land Rover friends. I use the drive time to the airport to reflect. The Maltese Land Rover Club are no different to any other Land Rover club in the world. The members love anything with a Land Rover badge on it, just some want different things from their rides than others. And while we might speak different languages and live on different sides of the world, we are united in our love of the green oval, whether we like them standard, modified or otherwise.
My final exchange with my new friends is an invite to come the UK. I leave Malta happy and richer for the experience.