Celebrating 30 years of Discovery

There have been 1.7 million units sold, spanning five generations, an impressive feat for what is considered a premium off-road vehicle. I travelled down to KwaZulu Natal recently to celebrate this milestone with the brand and the iconic Kingsley Holgate, and a few talented brand ambassadors.

The destination

Upon arrival at King Shaka International Airport we were shuttled to the family’s home in Zinkwazi by Sheelagh Antrobus, Kingsley’s partner, in the same Discovery that took the team on a gruelling 12 000 kilometre trip to Somalia recently. Ahead of us was a Discovery 4 with former Springbok centre Jean de Villiers and Stormers hooker Scarra Ntubeni on board, who are both Land Rover brand ambassadors.

Driving five

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by Mr Holgate, with a convoy of all five generations of Discovery models. I was allocated the latest variant, with Kingsley in the passenger seat. We made our way to a meeting point on the banks of the Zinkwazi Lagoon. The entire ride down was filled with amusing anecdotes involving one of the thirty-plus expeditions that Kingsley has undertaken throughout his lifetime. I could sit and listen for hours, but he had some conservation work to discuss, so we moved on. Despite having covered over 66 000km in two years and wearing all-terrain rubber, the Discovery still felt solid, a testament to the new vehicle’s build quality.

The Kingsley Holgate Foundation

We were presented with all of the fine work that the Kingsley Holgate Foundation does in terms of humanitarian efforts across Africa. Kingsley began with his efforts to reduce the number of people suffering from debilitating sight problems with Rite to Sight spectacles for the poor-sighted.

There’s also a massive drive from the team to reduce Malaria across the African continent by presenting pregnant mothers and those with small children with mosquito nets and some education surrounding the prevention of this killer disease. Having had the disease more than fifty times himself, Holgate knew something had to be done. He then went on to discuss his work distributing LifeStraw products. The LifeStraw is a water filtration device that will allow the average person to filter dirty water into clean, drinkable water for a year. The foundation also distributes the LifeStraw Community, a larger filtration system that can hydrate 100 people for between three and five years. This is literally a life-saving device for remote communities with little access to clean drinking water.

In an effort to spread the word regarding Rhino poaching in South Africa, the Holgate Foundation distributes soccer packages and hosts colouring-in competitions amongst the youth in rural areas across Africa. The bibs that the children wear when playing soccer in the villages include messages about the dangers of Malaria and how important it is to fight for the protection of the African Rhino. The foundation also partners with Barrows in an effort to aid their early childhood development by using print cut-offs to produce basic educational material for underprivileged children. The work done, and indeed, the danger that Holgate and his expedition team expose themselves to for the betterment of humanity is genuinely inspiring.

Driving a Series II and Discovery 3

With five generations of Discovery at our disposal, I had to drive my personal favourite, the Series II. The example that I drove had over 300 000km on the clock and had just been gifted to Kingsley’s grandson, Tristan Holgate. It was amazing to see how much the Discovery has changed, with the Series II not resembling the current model in any shape or form.

I then hopped into a Discovery 3 and things became more familiar. The immediate difference in ride quality, thanks to the monocoque chassis versus the pure body-on-frame seen on the Series I and II, was noted, as was the frankly incredible amount of buttons inside. I then had a passenger ride in the Discovery 4, which really felt like an evolution of the third generation, albeit with improved materials and a more ergonomically pleasing interior. I’m not a big fan of the latest Discovery’s looks, but the fourth generation, to my eyes at least, still looks really well proportioned.

The Landmark Edition

Land Rover South Africa also took this opportunity to announce that an anniversary edition of the Discovery, called the Landmark, will be gracing our shores in October of this year. Based upon the Discovery SE variant, the Landmark Edition gets a sportier front bumper, a black mesh grille, fender vents, nameplate scripting and Landmark badging and 20-inch gloss black wheels.  Inside there’s Meridian sound system and the option of three Windsor leather options with contrasting piping. The Landmark Edition is only available with the190 kW and 600 N.m 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Pricing has been revealed at R1 271 500, which includes a 5-year/150 000km warranty.