A baffling work of art at one of Scotland’s most celebrated whisky distilleries is to be scrapped.
The Ford Escort car with a lamp post through the bonnet has amazed and confounded visitors to the Glenfiddich site since it was installed eight years ago by celebrated Spanish “spatial sculptor” Luis Bisbe as part of the venue’s arts programme.
However, the car park at the distillery in Dufftown, Banffshire, needs resurfacing and bosses have reluctantly decided to send the artwork for scrap.
For Glenfiddich’s art programme co-ordinator, Andy Fairgrieve, the decision is particularly tough – because the car once belonged to him.
He said: “Unfortunately, the car and lamp post will have to be dismantled so the car park can be resurfaced.
“There are no definite plans yet when this will happen, but visitors to our distillery will still be able to see the piece if they come this summer – it will be it’s final hurrah.
“Everyone loves the piece and it has been there for eight years, even though at the time we thought it would just be up for the summer.
“Over the years it has caused quite a fuss when people notice it, but it usually takes them a while because when you glance at it, it just looks like a car parked next to a lamp post.”
The work, which cost just £300, involved drilling a hole into the staff car park and rolling the vehicle over it.
Parts of the engine had to be carefully removed, before the lamp post was lowered through the gap and into the ground.
To complete the illusion, the car bonnet then had to be lifted 25ft into the air and lowered over the top of the lamp post and back into place.
When local lamp posts are switched on, the car’s headlights are illuminated while the one above it remains unlit.
The work of art was damaged at Christmas when a car skidded on ice and collided with it.
Visitors to the distillery will still be able to enjoy two other works by Barcelona-based Bisbe.
The sculptor also created a bicycle built through a railing and a whisky cask with a broom through the middle.