Land Rover's Longest Test Drive
8 October 1998
Land Rover's Longest Test DriveAll-New Discovery Series II Travels Over 18,000 Miles, Across Four Continents In Four Months, En Route to its Debut at the Paris Motor Show PARIS, Oct. 7 -- An international group of journalists has completed one of history's most ambitious new-vehicle test drives -- New Discovery Trek. Two all-new Land Rover Discovery Series IIs covered over 18,000 miles in four months driving from London to Paris ... the long way. The Discovery Series II, which made its world debut in late September at the 1998 Paris Motor Show, represents the first complete engineering redesign of Land Rover's most popular vehicle. Departing London on June 1, 1998, the two Discovery Series II vehicles ventured in a southeastern direction across the continent of Europe to Istanbul and then on across Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. On this leg of the trip, the teams of drivers had to deal with temperatures above 122 degrees Fahrenheit and road hazards ranging from gun-toting militia to wayward oxcarts and unlighted, overloaded trucks. Even an odd camel and the occasional monkey became unexpected hazards. From Calcutta, India, the vehicles were shipped to Australia, where the teams drove the V8 and new Td5 diesel-powered Discoverys across the brutal Gunbarrel Highway to Ayers Rock (known locally as Uluru) and then on to Melbourne and Sydney. Along the way, they camped overnight in freezing temperatures and were coated by Australia's pervasive red "bull dust." From Sydney, the vehicles were air freighted to New York for a 3,360-mile journey south across the United States. After stops in New Orleans and Houston, the drivers crossed into Mexico at Nuevo Laredo to encounter what would be the first of many frustrating delays caused by immigration and customs red tape at each of the 10 South America border crossings. Rough roads and record high temperatures in the Americas were made all the more tiring by heavy rains as the drivers wound through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the rain forests of Costa Rica. Another ocean shipment to Spain for the final leg across the Pyrenees brought the two vehicles and their one-ton Ifor Williams equipment trailer to the Paris Motor Show for the world premiere of the new Discovery Series II. By the time vehicles arrived in Paris, they had covered more than 18,000 miles in four months -- once around the globe -- without a major problem. Thirty journalists from 10 countries had co-driven during New Discovery Trek, along with Iain Chapman, Event Director, and Mark Dugmore, Land Rover Field Engineer. "New Discovery Trek used pre-production vehicles in an unprecedented show of confidence in the technology and robust engineering that have gone into this project," said Tom Purves, Rover Group Sales and Marketing Director. "Our thanks goes out to all who made it happen." The event was co-sponsored by Texaco Havoline lubricants and coolant, Michelin Tire Corporation, Warn Industries, BT Mobiq satellite telephones and Land Rover Global Expedition clothing. GARMIN GPS, Nevada Communications, Ifor Williams trailers and Coleman camping equipment provided additional support. New Discovery Trek Statistics * Total distance travelled: 18,000 miles * Total distance off-road/off-tarmac: approx. 2485 miles * Longest distance travelled in a day: 776 miles. Wytheville, VA -- New Orleans, LA * Total driving days: 55 * Countries visited: 27 * Total numbers of continents: Four * Most countries visited in one day: Five. Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, France * Borders crossed (in and out): 62 * Total journalists participating: 31, representing 12 countries Land Rover North America, Inc. is a member of the Rover Group, importing Land Rover vehicles manufactured in Solihull, England. The Rover Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BMW Group, Munich, Germany.