1995 Land Rover Camel Trophy Discovery

Believed to have been used for both the 1995 and 1996 Camel Trophy selection events, video footage (http://youtu.be/FXWGpJ9RPfs minute 2:34) shows it being driven by the Dutch team in 1996 wearing the UK registration number M370 HVC.

As can be seen on the video, the vehicle suffered light damage to the bodywork, but has now been sympathetically restored by the current owner so at least some of the panels will not be wearing their original paint. The photos below (all 90 of them!) show the vehicle both before and after this work.

The decals are those of the 1995 event, and have been carefully replaced to reflect the car’s condition at the start of the selection event in Seville, Spain.

Of course, the Camel Trophy being as tough as it was, the vehicle did suffer some minor body damage during the trials but you’d be hard-pressed to see where unless you stumble across a copy of the official video, in which case it’s there, in glorious technicolour. 

So, while at least some of the paint is not original, the sand ladders are, as are the front bull-bar, underbody protection, Safety Devices rear access ladder and roof rack, Dixon-Bate rear recovery/towing point, Husky Superwinch, light guards, and roof-mounted Hella spotlights.

As an ex-working vehicle, the Discovery is in remarkable condition, which is a tribute to the current owner’s dedication and the low mileage that comes courtesy of the ten years it spent in careful storage.

The interior is very much as it would have been when competing, which means a map light fixed to the side of the centre console; a battery monitor and three auxiliary switches in lieu of a radio/cassette player; an internal Safety Devices roll cage; a fire extinguisher bolted to the floor; a luggage guard that separates the boot from the passenger compartment; and a Terratrip computer set atop the dashboard. 

However, if you think the years will have taken their toll you couldn’t be more wrong; seat covers have protected the original seat fabric, leaving them in very good condition indeed.

The underbody and engine bay are clean enough to eat your dinner off, and who have thought we’d ever be able to say that of a 1995 Land Rover Discovery, eh? 

That they are as spotless as this is a testament to the hard work put in by the vendor in recommissioning it with new fluids, filters and timing belts. Well, that’s what he tells us he did but we think he’s being too modest; this car is so tidy that he must have spent many, many hours lovingly cleaning and preparing it.

The vehicle comes with a Land Rover Certificate of origin, including the factory build sheets showing the Sandglow paint pack along with the optional equipment that was fitted to it by the factory. Its provenance is also made clear via its registration history; it started life registered to Land Rover, before being handed over to Nene Overland, the company charged with disposing of the Camel Trophy vehicles. 

Nene Overland then sold it to a friend of the current owner, who kept in storage for a decade before moving back home to Columbia, forcing the sale of the Discovery to the third and current owner. 

Included with the vehicle is a certificate of export showing the vehicle’s UK registration and chassis plate number.

It has now been MOT’d and registered in Spain. Re-registering it in the UK would be easy and it would almost certainly be re-issued with its original registration number at the same time, helping maintain this important car’s history.

How do you even begin to price a Camel Trophy Discovery like this? Well, I suppose you must start by acknowledging that the very best prices are achieved by right-hand-drive cars, and this one is a left hooker. 

On the other hand, there are very few Camel Trophy cars out there with such a low mileage, which adds considerably to the value. And, of course, you must take account of the fact that if you’re planning on showing it or using it aboard then its left-hand-drive status becomes much less of an issue.

So, the best estimate we can give is to say that we expect it to sell for around £18-20,000. Given the rock-solid residuals of Camel Trophy cars, this might just be the best Land Rover investment of the year so far.

The vehicle is currently in Madrid, our International shipping partner RJJ Freight are happy to assist any potential buyers with quotes to transport the vehicle back to the UK, contact us for more details.

If you have any questions then you can use the 'Contact Seller' button at the top of the listing, use the comments selection below or view our frequently asked questions.