The millionth Land Rover Discovery has completed its journey from Birmingham to the Auto China motor show in Beijing. Taking almost two months the 'Journey of Discovery' covered over 10,000 miles taking in snow covered mountains and scorching deserts.
Four vehicles, including the millionth Discovery built, started the adventure on 29th February at Land Rover's factory in Solihull, near Birmingham. Following a ceremonial send-off at the Geneva Motor Show the team visited thirteen countries. The aim of the trip was to raise £1 million for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Land Rover Global Brand Director, John Edwards, said: "This has been an epic journey between two of the biggest events on the automotive calendar and, as we expected, it has demonstrated virtually every condition a Land Rover is designed to cope with."
The team uncovered the stories of people and places on the way to Beijing. The route to China took in a visit to the Chernobyl reactor and a secret Soviet submarine base in Ukraine. In Uzbekistan the team met a group of fishermen in the near-dry Aral Sea. The final leg of the journey into China took in sand dunes, the Great Wall and a trip on a sheepskin raft.
After the Beijing Motor Show the millionth Land Rover Discovery will return to the UK and become part of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust collection at Gaydon, Warwickshire.
To see more images from the Journey of Discovery and to donate go to
www.landrover.com/million.
John Lambert - 26 Apr 2012