This is a rare Land Rover Discovery Camel Trophy Edition, it’s a model that was only offered in Japan for the 1995 model year in limited quantities, and this one was imported into the USA in July of 2022.
This vehicle is an unrestored original with all of the correct Camel Trophy special edition parts in place. It is showing some signs of wear and tear however this just means that the new owner can take it off-road for some adventures without worrying about scratching the distinctive Sandglow Yellow paintwork.
Fast Facts – The Land Rover Discovery Camel Trophy Edition
- The Land Rover Discovery Camel Trophy Edition was offered in the Japanese market only, and only for the 1995 model year. The few examples that have been exported tend too get snapped up quickly due to their rarity.
- The Camel Trophy has been called “The Olympics of 4×4,” it was an annual off-roading event that took place in various countries around the world with teams made up of compatriots. Teams competed in crossing exceedingly challenging terrain and prizes were given for winning the event, there was also a Team Spirit award.
- Land Rover vehicles were used for all Camel Trophy events except for the first in 1980. The vehicles were all painted in Sandglow Yellow and given a slew of upgrades to make them better able to withstand the rigors of the event.
- The vehicle you see here is one of the original examples of the Japanese-market Land Rover Discovery Camel Trophy Edition. It was imported into the USA earlier this year and it’s now being offered for sale out of Hudson, New Hampshire on Bring a Trailer.
The Land Rover Discovery
The Land Rover Discovery was introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show as a new 4×4 designed to fit between the expensive, upmarket Range Rover and the tougher, more off-road oriented Land Rover Defender.
Above Video: This is the highlight film from the 1994 Camel Trophy in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile.
In order to reduce costs and development time the Discovery used the same chassis, suspension, and four-wheel drive system as the Range Rover. A new stamped steel body was designed with a distinctive raised rear roof section to provide headroom for third row passengers.
Initially the Discovery was only offered in a two-door configuration however this soon changed, and the more popular four-door model debuted in 1990. The Discovery is now in its third generation and well over a million have been made since 1989, making it one of Land Rover’s more popular models.
The Land Rover Discovery Camel Trophy Edition
For reasons that aren’t immediately clear, Land Rover decided to develop a Camel Trophy Limited Edition of the Discovery for the 1995 model year in the Japanese market only.
These Camel Trophy versions of the Discovery would look just like the vehicles used in the real event thanks to their Sandglow Yellow paint, black bull bars and roof racks, they also had extensive Camel Trophy branding, national flag stickers, Sandglow Yellow steel wheels, a numbered limited edition badge on the rear tailgate, black wheel arch covers, and black sill protectors.
The Camel Trophy Limited Edition looks essentially indistinguishable from the vehicles used in the actual event.
A small number of these rare Discovery special editions have been exported out of Japan to the West, however they only come up for sale relatively rarely. There was an additional “Trophy” version offered in the Netherlands in 1988, as well as a Camel Trophy version in Germany in the same year.
The Discovery Camel Trophy Edition Shown Here
The vehicle you see here was imported to the US a little earlier this year and it’s now being offered for sale out of Hudson, New Hampshire on Bring a Trailer.
It’s in original, unrestored condition so it is showing some signs of wear, however as a Camel Trophy Land Rover you’d probably expect that.
It has 262,000 kilometers on the odometer, or 163,000 miles, and it has the standard turbodiesel engine with a 5-speed manual transmission, two-speed transfer case, and live axles front and rear on leaf springs.
If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
