LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 1&2
Some three decades ago buyers wanting the famous British mud-plugger had the choice of the rugged workhorse that was the Ninety/One Ten or the much plusher Range Rover. But Land Rover wanted to add a third option, and the answer would be ‘Project Jay’, better known as the Discovery.
Launched at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show the fresh, modern design perfectly bridged the gap between the utilitarian and the luxurious. Developed relatively quickly and on a modest budget, it borrowed the chassis and most of the running gear from the Range Rover and went on sale in three-door form only, reportedly to avoid it cannibalising sales from the more prestigious sibling. A more practical five-door arrived a year later, but what stood out for many was the interior; light and airy thanks to the ‘Alpine’ windows, Terence Conran had a hand in its design and its fresh approach garnered a British Design Award. Power came from 2.5-litre turbodiesel or 3.5-litre V8 engines (initially carburettor with fuel-injection later) and being a Land Rover the ‘Disco’ was supremely capable in the rough stuff. By the time production ended in 1998 numerous updates had included revised engines - a 2.0-litre MPi petrol unit was introduced, the diesel
