Silk purse from a sow's ear

Something that Land Rover did with the original Discovery...

WITH the wave of Japanese 4x4s in the 1970s and well into the 1980s. They bridged the gap on having creature comforts like the Range Rover. Yet being rugged and more affordable like the Defender.

Due to their popularity, this left Land Rover needing a new car to fill the gap in their line-up. As buyers would find the Range Rover too expensive moving upmarket. Or the Defender being too crude and unrefined.

The Rover Group though, had a bit of a dilemma. Cash and resources were limited into making an-all new car. So the new Land Rover had to be developed on a shoestring budget. With the resources they had to hand, and so they raided the parts-bin into making an entirely new car.

The starting base for a Disco.

Land Rover used the original Range Rover as a starting base on making the original Discovery. In fact, it very much had the same architecture as the Rangie. Having the same doors, mirrors, windscreen, the same wheelbase, and even the same pedals as the more expensive 4x4 that it was based on. Under the skin, it was also built on the same ladder frame chassis, and had the same engines and running gear as the Range Rover – and even the Defender (nee 90 or 110).

On the outside, the Discovery didn’t just share the same external parts as the Range Rover. There were also parts on it from other vehicles within the Rover Group (as well as Austin Rover and even British Leyland).

The door handles were from the Range Rover, and also a few BL cars gone by like the Austin Allegro, Morris Marina and Triumph TR7. The rear light clusters were from the Maestro van. Headlamps on the pre-facelift Discoveries were from the Freight-Rover Sherpa van.

Inside, much of the interior shared much with the Range Rover and the Defender. Much of the switch gear and instruments were from the Metro, Maestro and Montego – like the indicator stalks for examples. The dashboard air vents were lifted straight out from the Rover 800.

Spot the parts you've seen from other cars!

If there’s anything to go by it. It was ingenious on how Land Rover made an all-new vehicle with extensive use of the BLARG parts bin into making the Discovery. Today, no car manufacturer could get away with doing that. They’d be under such scrutiny for 'penny pinching' by the press and regulators for carrying out this practice. The fact is though, that most cars are built down to a price. The Discovery was a more extreme example of this.

The original Discovery went on sale in 1989. Well into the 1990s, it became the UK's best selling 4x4xFar. The kudos that came with owning a Land Rover meant many buyers flocked to the showrooms. Buyers loved the high driving driving position, giving a commanding view of the road. Having a sense of adventure, and the lifestyle image that it projected.

And in here too!

It filled the brief of being more comfortable and civilised like the Range Rover. Yet being attainable, and practical and capable in the rough stuff as the Defender. It was the 4x4 with a breadth of abilities that sold like hot cakes.

It was the car they needed to bridge the gap between the Range Rover and the Defender. Yet, it was popular for those who were in the market for a 4x4 that would have otherwise bought a: Toyota Land Cruiser, Mitsubishi Shogun, or a Jeep Cherokee.

With the Discovery being made and available to seat seven. It was an appealing proposition for those with larger families. Especially for those who'd rather be walking than be seen in a Renault Espace, or a Ford Transit minibus. The Discovery was seen as a smart and desirable alternative to people-carriers.

The Discovery though, was a gamble for Land Rover that paid off handsomely. You can go as far and say that it was one of the cars along with the all-new Rover 200 that help turned fortunes round for the Rover Group in the early 1990s. If making a silk purse from a sow's ear was such a thing in automotive terms, then the original Disco was a proven example of this.