In the Saanenland, a rare Land Rover from the 1950s serves as both a piece of art and a historical keepsake. Hansueli Brand owns this unique vehicle, which carries a mural painted by the late Gstaad icon Hedi Donizetti—better known as “Hedi Olden.” Through the car’s intricate details, a vibrant slice of Gstaad’s past remains alive and cherished.

Hansueli Brand points out the artwork on his beloved Land Rover. “I love the way Hedi painted the cows and children—they all have such round faces,” he says, tracing the painted figures of a boy milking a cow, another with a stick poised for the train, and a girl carrying a basket, perhaps collecting something special. The Land Rover, built in 1956, bears a one-of-a-kind painting by Hedi Donizetti, a celebrated artist and icon of Gstaad.

Hedi Donizetti passed away in 2017 at the age of 90, leaving a rich legacy in the Saanenland. Born in Müllen, she and her sister Nelli performed as a house orchestra at the Hotel Olden, yodelling for delighted audiences and gaining recognition throughout the region. Hedi married Fausto Donizetti, who purchased the Hotel Olden in 1952, and together, they turned the hotel into a landmark, attracting international celebrities. She even sang duets with stars like Julie Andrews during special events like the 2014 Citizen of Honour celebration. Beyond music, Hedi held passions for politics—becoming Saanen's first female municipal councillor—and painting. Her vibrant style is unmistakably captured on Brand’s Land Rover, lovingly named "La Vache."

This Land Rover previously belonged to Knut Strömstad, a Norwegian ski jumper and instructor, who used it to ferry students from Le Rosey Institute to the ski lifts during the winter season. Strömstad, who also trained local ski-jumping talent, had bought the car from Hansueli Brand, owner of the Ledi Garage in Feutersoey. It was Hedi who, in 1959, transformed the vehicle into a folklore-inspired artwork, adorning it with cows, children, sun motifs, and colourful flowers. Her signature graces the left side of the off-roader, along with a note from 1987 when she restored the piece, defying the wear of time and weather. Brand chuckles, recalling how she even painted right over an old sticker on the car. “Nothing could stand in the way of her artwork.”

Selling is Not an Option
Hansueli Brand is deeply proud of this historic vehicle, which he fondly shares at local fairs and events. For him, “La vache” is more than just a car; it’s a shrine, a legacy on wheels. And though he has received offers—some even ten times its original price, which was around 6,900 pounds in the 1950s—selling it is out of the question. “I want the car to stay where it made history: in the Saanenland.”

Based on AvS | Jocelyne Page