∙V8 Manual Discovery in rare Willow green
∙Only 67k from new
∙Original paint and standard condition
∙Seven-seater model

In the mid-1980s, Land Rover was under threat from a slew of new Japanese ‘leisure’ SUVs, which were threatening its market presence. 

‘Project Jay’ was crucial for the future of Land Rover as the car that would bridge the gap between its utility models and the luxurious Range Rover. The assignment for the design team was to create a vehicle which would provide the rugged capability of the Ninety/One Ten, with interior comfort to compete with newer, smaller and more passenger-focused competitors. Enter the Discovery…

On 16th September 1989, Discovery 1 made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Its iconic name was chosen ahead of other options including ‘Highlander’ and the ‘Prairie Rover’. The design included its now instantly recognisable stepped roof, reverse C-pillars and clamshell bonnet. To ensure it did not detract from the Range Rover, Discovery was initially launched only as a 3-door model rather than 5-door. The chassis and drivetrain were however taken from the existing Range Rover. 

The interior offered comfort with features suitable for everyday life. For example, centrally located radio controls, twin removable sunroof panels and a detachable shoulder bag located to the rear of the centre console for storage, which could be removed and used outdoors. The interior design received critical acclaim at the time, including a British Design Award in 1989. There was seating for five, with the option to add an additional two jump seats in the rear.

Following a model update in 1994, further changes were made to the Discovery. The 200Tdi and 3.5 V8 engines were replaced with 2.5-litre 300Tdi and 3.9-litre Rover V8 engines, as well as the addition of stronger gearboxes. The updated models also featured external design revisions such as larger headlights and a second set of rear-lights in the bumper. 

And that’s what we have here – a 1996 Discovery facelift model, first registered to Land Rover’s own company vehicles department and finished in a rare and unusual colour.

This Discovery began life in 1996 and was a Land Rover company vehicle, before being sold in 1999 to a Mr Whaddon through the main Guy Salmon dealership in Portsmouth. It remained in his ownership for several years and covered a very low mileage during that time, which is why it has covered just 67,000 to this day.

It changed hands again in 2007 with just 34,000 miles on the clock and has covered around 3,000 miles a year since. The current owner has had it for three years, but has only covered around 3,000 miles in it himself.

There’s not a huge amount in terms of paperwork, other than a partially stamped warranty book, a drivers’ handbook and a few recent bills. It does, however, also come with some nice period items including a price guide showing it cost £21,125 new, which would be around £35,000 in today’s money. Quite cheap when you compare it to the current Discovery!

Also included are some Land Rover Driving Techniques booklets and a current MOT certificate, valid through until November 2021.

If anything really stands out about the Discovery it’s the interior – finished in tan cloth with unusual factory option logo’d head restraint inserts, it’s a visual delight, with very little wear to speak of. There are a few rubs and scuffs here and there but nothing alarming, while the carpets, factory floor mats and door cards are all in good order. It also has the original ‘Discovery’ logo radio cassette player, for which the security code is in the book pack.

There’s a bit of droop to the rear headlining but very little, while the electric front windows and hinged rear side windows work fine. 

Importantly, it’s also a seven-seater, with two fold-down jump seats in the rear luggage area.

The Discovery is finished in Land Rover Willow Green (also known as Rover Kensington Green if ever you need paint) and looks fantastic for it. It’s a great colour that really suits the car. 

The paint is largely original, though there are a few swirl marks from automatic car washes in the upper lacquer and a very small area of alloy reaction behind the nearside rear mudflap mount. 

It’s very good underneath with its original boot floor, though there is some corrosion at the very edges of both rear sills that would benefit from being treated sooner rather than later. 

One of the headlights is also slightly loose. Overall, though, it presents brilliantly – it’s a great-looking example of the Mk1 facelift Discovery and in a fantastic colour that’s bound to have lots of appeal.

Under the bonnet, the Discovery comes with a fuel-injected 3.9-litre V8 that’s regarded as one of the very best engines Land Rover ever offered – a modernised and more efficient version of the classic Rover V8, though efficiency is relative. 

This won’t be a cheap car to run, but it will be a wholly enjoyable one, not least because of the rumbling soundtrack offered by that beefy eight-cylinder engine. It has a distinctive noise that sounds like nothing else. It’s all in rude health, with good oil pressure and no signs of excessive smoke or oil/coolant consumption and the owner reports that the transmission works perfectly. 

Suspension wise, it has Polybushes all-round and slightly extended coil springs, offering better ride comfort and more balanced handling. These are spotlessly clean and clearly a fairly recent addition. 

Tidy early Discoveries are thin in the skin these days, and while they do tend to get recycled after the rot finally claims them, their next life is usually as a tricked-up off-roader and not as a restored or preserved road car. And that’s what gives this car such a strong appeal. It’s a clean and tidy, honest, very original Mk1 facelift in one of the very best colours, and powered by the flagship engine. It deserves to stay that way, not least because it will only get more interesting as Mk 1 Discos get rarer still…

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