A modern day Land Rover isn’t exactly the on everyone’s mind as a collector’s item, but when Range Rover builds a special edition, it’s usually worth paying attention to. I don’t mean the legions of cosmetic special editions that roam suburbia, but rather a truck given some off-road upgrades that call to mind the original intent behind the British automaker’s legendary SUVs. The Land Rover Discovery G4 edition was produced in extremely limited quantities and colors and was offered as a way to commemorate the company’s participation in the legendary endurance event.
Now, I realize that I did levy some criticism about special editions that are solely cosmetic in nature, and the G4 edition is fairly close to that. The Discovery (and in the U.S., the Freelander as well) got a brush guard, rear ladder, driving lamps, and a roof rack system in the G4 package, along with special colors. There were just two paint jobs offered in the U.S., with the subject SUV wearing the more popular of the two shades: Tangier Orange. Now, here’s why I don’t mind the fact that Range Rover didn’t gut the mechanical bits for upgraded parts: the company wanted G4 participants to see how well the trucks performed just as if they rolled off the showroom floor.
Now, there was a Land Rover special edition that is worth a pretty penny, but the pedigree is slightly different. The Camel Trophy series was another endurance event that Land Rover had a significant role in, and the first-generation Discoveries that participated in that series are deeply sought after and extremely hard to find. I liken it to the Pontiac Fiero Indy 500 pace car: there were the standard Fieros sold in dealerships with a decal kit, and then there was the car that powered the field with its ridiculous roof-mounted air intake system. Two very different takes on the same idea.
In Europe, the G4 edition came with a diesel engine, which seems much more fitting for a truck built for endurance events. In the U.S., the only choice with the standard-issue gasoline 4.6L V8, which was certainly more than up to the task but didn’t have the same cache as a burly turbodiesel. The G4 edition was limited to 200 units, so you’re certainly buying into a exclusive club of Land Rover owners for not much cash. The truck is currently bid to $5,700 here on eBay with the reserve unmet.
Very nice find…. won’t lose it in the parking lot given the bright red. I’ll take the cheap shot….when you mentioned rare edition I immediately thought it was rare in not suffering from various electrical and mechanical maladies.
The guard on the front will come in handy at the Whole Foods parking lot, to bump carts left behind by the folks in steerage, out of your way.
“steerage” LOL
Sold for $11,700.
DIDN’T sell for $11,700…. (reserve not met…) The trouble with these things (special editions) is that the guys that own them invariably think that they are worth a fortune… meanwhile everyone else just sees a crappy old Disco like all the other crappy old Discos!