Thread: New Discovery Trek

Geez, i wouldn't mind one of those

Very difficult to find information...

The "rare launch video" was a VHS tape sent out to prospective customers as a marketing tool. The D2 was launched at the Paris Motor Show on 29 September 1998, and the video package included a letter dated 30 September 1998 which invited the recipient to reserve a test drive.

The Trek was driven by teams of motoring journalists from around the world as part of the media blitz leading up to the Disco 2 launch so it is well documented if you do a bit of research.

There were a large number of magazine reports published at the time. I have a couple of them, but they are more like adventure travel articles than reviews, but I guess that is the message LR wanted to get across: The D2 was ready to take you where ever you wanted to go, even if you were just buying it for the school run.

"Discography: Discovery Trek Central America", Colin Godwin, published in Autocar No 43, 28 October 1998 12pgs
"Discography Part II: Discovery Trek Around the World", Colin Godwin, published in Autocar No 44, 4 November 1998 8pgs
"Passage to India: Holy Cow", Todd Hallenbeck, published in Wheels December 1998. 6pgs.


cheers
Paul

This is an example of the info floating on the 'net if you search...

All-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 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

And attached are a couple of scans of photos from the Autocar article...

Lots of pics on the Ifor Williams website, mainly featuring the Ifor Williams trailer used on the Trek.

Ifor Williams Trailers - News
Landrover Discovery Trek Pictures - Nick Dimbleby
More Landrover Discovery Trek Pictures

There was a page on the McLean Chapman Associates website, but the site is now dead and the Archive.org cached version is missing 99.9% of the images. The text is the same as the press release above but has additional information on the vehicles in the "Fact Sheet" section:

Fact Sheet:

• The longest, most ambitious new model test drive in history.

• An AUTOCAR initiative supported by Land Rover.

• 20,054 miles through 27 countries

• Two L-25s: 1 x V8 Automatic, Middle East spec and 1 x Td5 Manual, Spanish spec

• Staff: - Executive Director, Bill Baker (Land Rover)

- Event Director, Iain Chapman (McLean Chapman Associates)

- Development Engineer, Mark Dugmore (Land Rover)

Vehicles Specifications:

1 x New Land Rover Discovery 4.0 litre V8

Number of cylinders: Eight (V8)

Cubic capacity: 3947cc

Power: 85 bhp at 4750 rpm

Torque: 250 lb ft at 2500 rpm

Transmission: Four-speed automatic

Air conditioning: Yes

Laden weigh: 2750 kg (6063 Ibs)

Average fuel consumption: 15 mpg (17.8 l/10Okm)

Overall mileage: 32,275 km, (20,054 miles) (Rover Gaydon to Rover Gaydon)

Tyres: Michelin 235/70 R16 XPC

Oil change: Perth, Australia on 20 July at 15,650 km (engine and transmission)

TOP

1 x New Land Rover Discovery 2.5 litre Td5

Number of cylinders: Five

Cubic capacity: 2495cc

Power: 134 bhp at 4200 rpm

Torque: 232 lb ft at 200Orpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Air conditioning:

Laden weight: 2800 kg (6173 Ibs)

Average fuel consumption: 20mpg (13.9 l /10Okm)

Overall mileage: 31,846 km. (19,788 miles) (Rover Gaydon to Rover Gaydon)

Tyres: Michelin 235/70 R16 XPC

Oil change: Perth, Australia on 20 July at 15,650 km: (engine and transmission)

Ifor Williams GD64 trailer

Body: Open box

Single axle: 1500kg capacity

Weight carried: 950kg (2094 Ibs)

TOP

Trek Statistics

Distance off-road: 4000 km (2485 miles)

Highest altitude: 10,500 feet (3048 metres), Guatemala

Lowest point: 164 feet (-50 metres), Channel Tunnel

Coldest: -5'C (23'F), Warburton, Australia

Hottest: 52'C (1 25F), Nr. Derra Ismail Khan, Pakistan

Most dangerous road: Grand Trunk Road, India (52 truck accidents seen in 48 hours)

Closest Call: Near Zhob, Pakistan. V8 sideswiped by a pick-up truck

Result: Damaged right front wing, mirror and broken indicator

Total distance on Michelin tyres: Eight on vehicles, two on trailer, 640,000 km (One puncture in Iran)

Number of sea transits: Two (India - Australia ; Costa Rica - Spain)

Number of air transits: One - Sydney, Australia - New York, USA via Seoul, Korea

Longest distance in a day: 1249 km (776 miles). Wytheville, Virginia - New Orleans, Louisiana

Highest speed: V8 - 169 km/h (105 mph)

Highest speed: Td5 with trailer – 150 km/h (93.2 mph) - both legally on Stewart Highway, Australia

Best Hotel: Oberoi Grand, Calcutta

Worst Hotel: Several!!!!

Nights camping: 2, in Australia

Highest Hotel: Hotel Alpin, Romania (2000 metres)

Lowest Hotel: Coober Pedy, Australia - 15 metres underground

Total journalists participating: 31: representing 12 countries: (UK, USA, Belgium, Holland, Australia, Spain, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Germany, France, Portugal)

Countries visited: 27: UK, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Australia,, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, E1 Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland.

Languages encountered: 14

Borders crossed (in and out): 62

Hours spent at borders: Approximately 50 hours spent at customs and immigration points not including major export/import days for air and sea transits

Worst Hassles: Pakistan - India, E1 Salvador – Honduras

Total driving days: 55

Most countries visited in a day: 5, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein (15 mins), France

Smallest country: Liechtenstein

Largest in area: USA

Largest in population: India

Wildlife Seen: Antelope, mountain sheep, kangaroo, marmoset, camels (Dromedary),alligators, crocodiles, cockroaches, lizards, vultures, condors, eagles, buzzards, hawks and some very strange night-clubs!!

cheers
Paul

The video also shows the only Defender able to keep up with a Discovery 2, around the 4:50 mark

Hi paul

thanks a lot for sharing the information, do you know if there is any link for the vhs tape online? or selling in dvd?

i need more pictures from the bumper..

i found this:

Archive : New Discovery Trek Travels Over 30,000km Through Four Continents - AROnline

There are pics of R997ERW up on the JLR press site. It was one of the vehicles that was used at the 1,000,000 Discovery event in Feb 2012.

Land Rover Pictures and Images | Jaguar Land Rover Media Centre
if you search for "trek" you'll get three high res images of the vehicle including one that shows the front bumper reasonably well.

The "rare launch video" on youtube appears to pretty much all the content from the VHS tape, apart from a few seconds of "Rover Group 1998" and a disclaimer that the specs shown are not necessarily representative of what will be sold. The video I have runs for 10:30 if you include a few seconds of black at beginning and end. The additional time seems to be down to the end titles.

I have a rip from tape that was done on a player with heads that obviously hadn't been cleaned for a long time. It's a bit sharper and brighter than the youtube version and hasn't been squashed vertically.


cheers
Paul