Spotted in Tokushima/ Japan a Discovery 1

[Roverlord off road spares]

My son that lives over in Tokushima Japan spotted a D1 with Japan number plate. He said that they don't get many Landrovers over there but especially a D1. He has seen a Ranger Rover over there in a side street.
And looking at the photo of the D1 he sent to me through FB it looks like it is in mint condition. I know you want to see the picture, but I don't know how to get it off FB messenger and then to load it up here. Heather.

[V8Ian]

Take a photo of the photo, if you have more than one screen.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Take a photo of the photo, if you have more than one screen.

I did it Ian ! l down loaded to computer and move it to here, feel proud of myself as Mario was always the tech guy.

[cripesamighty]

If it isn't a Land Rover Disco 1 import, then it's probaby the a Honda Crossroad - the rebadged Disco 1 which they had in Japan. Probably not too many of these left!

[V8Ian]

Must be an import, I can almost make out LAND ROVER on the spare wheel cover.

[4bee]

If it isn't a Land Rover Disco 1 import, then it's probaby the a Honda Crossroad - the rebadged Disco 1 which they had in Japan. Probably not too many of these left!

Yes it certainly appears to be a D1.5 Facelift Model.

[V8Ian]

Yes it certainly appears to be a D1.5 Facelift Model.
Interesting to note the rear lights (all) are working as designed by Land Rover. No additional clusters in the bumper bar, to comply with ADRs.

[Roverlord off road spares]

I think Brendon could be right. D1,D2 he has been around the discovery all his life until we got the L322. And it has the spare wheel with Landrover on it. And in Japan all cars have to go through a very hard road worthy every 3 years and it cost a lot . That's why you don't see very old cars, it is cheaper to buy a new car, which people do over there.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Interesting to note the rear lights (all) are working as designed by Land Rover. No additional clusters in the bumper bar, to comply with ADRs.

Also has the landrover badge on the front grill

[Tins]

Could also be an overlander, just visiting. Steph and Leigh of Grizzly and Bear were there a while back. They had to have local plates fitted.

Nice Disco. Thanks, Heather.

[AK83]

Could be, but it looks RHD, which is also local drive side ... so more likely to be local.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Could also be an overlander, just visiting. Steph and Leigh of Grizzly and Bear were there a while back. They had to have local plates fitted.

Nice Disco. Thanks, Heather.

How long where they there for John, as Brendon took this photo yesterday.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Could be, but it looks RHD, which is also local drive side ... so more likely to be local.

Yes the cars are all right hand drive over there and drive on the same side as we do, which made it easier for Brendon to drive over there.

[Tins]

How long where they there for John, as Brendon took this photo yesterday.

Gone a couple of years now, and they had a Defender. But during their stay, which admittedly was prolonged by covid, they had to get a local reg IIRC.

[Tins]

Could be, but it looks RHD, which is also local drive side ... so more likely to be local.

Or overlanders from one of the many RHD countries...... even here. Just idle speculation, car could easily if expensively be local.

[Saitch]

My dear wife will be spending three weeks in Japan, this November, so I have just issued instructions (yea, sure) that she be on full alert and to photograph and forward, any Landies that she sees there.

[V8Ian]

My dear wife will be spending three weeks in Japan, this November, so I have just issued instructions (yea, sure) that she be on full alert and to photograph and forward, any Landies that she sees there.
That wasn't the original purpose for the trip?

[Saitch]

That wasn't the original purpose for the trip?

Her last trip to the Med!

190590

[4bee]

My dear wife will be spending three weeks in Japan, this November, so I have just issued instructions (yea, sure) that she be on full alert and to photograph and forward, any Landies that she sees there.

DAMN! Must get my eyes checked again I read that as LADIES.[smilebigeye]

[Saitch]

DAMN! Must get my eyes checked again I read that as LADIES.[smilebigeye]

Preferable to 'Laddies'.

[prelude]

China requires you to get local plates and even a local drivers license (including a local guide, you pay for... mandatory)

Japan does not require such things, see the grizzly n bear episode: https://youtu.be/Wt4_z7n9jps't=471

That indeed leaves two possibilities, it is a local car and they spend a lot to have/keep it there :) It could be original or a rebadged Honda (which had nothing Honda in or on it except the logo) to look like a landrover again.

In any case, good find! Those things must be rare as hens teeth.

Cheers,
-P

[4bee]

Preferable to 'Laddies'.

You know 'er indoors better than me.[biggrin]

[Old Farang]

The following is about the Discovery 1 in Japan:

The Story Behind the Honda Crossroad: A Rebranded Land Rover Discovery - JGS4x4 Land Rover Parts (https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/blog/the-story-behind-the-honda-crossroad-a-rebranded-land-rover-discovery/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20controversial,and %20some%20minor%20cosmetic%20changes.)

That aside, the Jap spec was unique in some regards, mostly electrical. (lighting, alarm system and such small things).

At one time all cars in Japan were limited to, I recall, to 5 years, after which they either had to be scrapped, or undergo expensive reconditioning. While I lived in Thailand there were a lot of them imported there after whatever the allowed life period was. The problem with importing them was that they had to be dismantled and bought in as parts to avoid most of the import duties.

I cannot find it now, but I have a photo somewhere of a P38 Range Rover cut in half! The car had about 20k kms on the clock! We removed the valve rocker covers and it was obvious that the milage was correct, it was spotless. One of the dealers had a workshop in Japan and used to have them prepared to order for shipment. The bodies were cut just behind the "A" pillar, so there was not a great loss of panels as the doors were removed before hand and the roof removed. The wiring was removed complete without damage, and had the same plugs and connectors, just a few different switches and functions.

Apart from the wiring, which could be a trap, most of the rest of the car was standard factory spec. There used to be, maybe still is, different specs for different markets in the same production year. I had a D1 ES, and it had the similar specs to those built for the Middle East market.

Not sure if you could do that with an EV! :twisted:

[tc_s1]

I know of at least one 110 in Tokushima prefecture, a lightly restomodded one that was delivered in the last year.

YES, the tax there (called 'shakken') is VERY expensive and designed to support the Japanese auto industry by making it cost prohibitive to keep classics road worthy.

Shakken creates a bit of a cottage industry where people (including all foreign residents I know who buy vehicles) get 'new to them' used cars every few years at a low price, as people dump them to avoid having the legal responsibility of disposal once Shakken permits run out.

Many also end up getting a 'free vacation' at the end...... as there are boats in Hokkaido that will buy them for enough to cover the road trip up to deliver them, then the train ride back. Once loaded on those boats, they end up all over mainland Asia - Russia, China, Vietnam, even Afghanistan, etc.

[Arapiles]

.... were sold there from the start - I had a look at a D1 in one of the Tokyo dealerships around 1993. I've posted a few times about the very low ks examples on sale in Japan. Also about the D4s that were on sale over there not having low range.

As examples of D1s:

Search for used - Japanese used cars. | Goo-net Exchange (https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/php/search/summary.php)

Low ks:

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY Other | 1994 |
L GREEN | 25565 km | details.- Japanese used cars.Goo-net Exchange (https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/LAND_ROVER/DISCOVERY/700970014630231006001/)

Defenders:

Search for used - Japanese used cars. | Goo-net Exchange (https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/php/search/summary.php)

[Arapiles]

The following is about the Discovery 1 in Japan:

The Story Behind the Honda Crossroad: A Rebranded Land Rover Discovery - JGS4x4 Land Rover Parts (https://www.jgs4x4.co.uk/blog/the-story-behind-the-honda-crossroad-a-rebranded-land-rover-discovery/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20controversial,and %20some%20minor%20cosmetic%20changes.)

That aside, the Jap spec was unique in some regards, mostly electrical. (lighting, alarm system and such small things).

At one time all cars in Japan were limited to, I recall, to 5 years, after which they either had to be scrapped, or undergo expensive reconditioning. While I lived in Thailand there were a lot of them imported there after whatever the allowed life period was. The problem with importing them was that they had to be dismantled and bought in as parts to avoid most of the import duties.

I cannot find it now, but I have a photo somewhere of a P38 Range Rover cut in half! The car had about 20k kms on the clock! We removed the valve rocker covers and it was obvious that the milage was correct, it was spotless. One of the dealers had a workshop in Japan and used to have them prepared to order for shipment. The bodies were cut just behind the "A" pillar, so there was not a great loss of panels as the doors were removed before hand and the roof removed. The wiring was removed complete without damage, and had the same plugs and connectors, just a few different switches and functions.

Apart from the wiring, which could be a trap, most of the rest of the car was standard factory spec. There used to be, maybe still is, different specs for different markets in the same production year. I had a D1 ES, and it had the similar specs to those built for the Middle East market.

Not sure if you could do that with an EV! :twisted:


Shaken is a strict roadworthy test. Of course, if your car keeps getting broken speedos and never gets over the cut-off ks then it never comes up ....

[Arapiles]

We looked at buying a grey market Nissan El Grand here a couple of years ago - EVERY vehicle we saw had had its speedo wound back by up to a 100,000 kms and the Japanese registration docs altered to match.

How did we know? Because the scam artists here in Australia knew how to alter the registration docs but they didn't know what the other documents were saying, and a lot of those docs had the actual kms on them. Why wasn't it obvious to them? Because the Japanese don't use all roman numerals, they use a mixture of roman numerals and kanji - 10万 means 100,000, which the scammers obviously didn't know.