1997 Land Rover Discovery Has Been to Mongolia, Has Pebbles From Camel Trophy

For a bit of context, Mongolia is three times the size of France, and it is positioned between Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. The route of the 1997 Camel Trophy race took competitors from the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, to the border with Russia and then towards the Gobi Desert. It was a 2,500-kilometer (ca. 1,553 miles) journey across extremely rugged terrain.

There was no set route, and teams only had a map and a compass for guidance. The event had 20 teams enrolled, and each represented a country. There were many other support vehicles, as well as journalists from several countries, who got to participate in the event without having a chance of winning.

Since the event was done in a country where transportation is problematic, some vehicles used in the expedition were donated to the Mongolian Government. Other vehicles were sold to participants at a special price.

This 1997 Land Rover Discovery 300tdi was one of those vehicles, and it was used as a support for the competing teams, but team vehicles were in the same configuration as it.

The 1997 edition of the Camel Trophy involved the least modified specification for the vehicles, but they did have a new kind of roof rack that had to accommodate a two-person kayak made by Perception, as well as two Lee Cougan mountain bikes for the newly introduced challenges of the event, which was won by an Austrian team that year.

It is important to note that Land Rover was heavily involved in the event because it was an excellent marketing tool for the brand, which was the vehicle of choice most of the time since the second edition of the event.

The automaker took almost 100 units off the production line, prepared them for off-road use, and then sent them on their way for the competition that was considered by many as the "Olympics of 4×4." Unfortunately, the event did not continue once the global economic downturn of 2008 passed.

This example had been imported to the United States of America many years ago, but its owners did not drive it too much on American soil. Instead, it sat in various places, hoping to get a new shot at life if you are willing to consider that the vehicle has a soul.

As Larry Kosilla notes, this example has a sad story attached to it, as it was bought by a father-and-son duo who wanted to make a nice off-roading project together. Not that long after the purchase, the father passed away, and now the son wants the vehicle to go to another home and hopefully be someone else's dream project.

This is where Larry comes in, as he gets the old off-road competition vehicle in the best shape it was since it left for Mongolia back in 1997. Larry has to deal with old paint, old stickers that must not be removed, various lairs created by multiple species of animals you do not want to interfere with, and even mud from Mongolia.

That last bit is tough to certify, but it is entirely possible if you consider the terrain, as well as the fact that the vehicle had not been used for more than ten years.

Regardless, it makes for a cool story, and an enthusiast of the Disco might be able to bring this example back to a usable condition without affecting its patina. It would be a shame to see it get damaged in off-roading events, but it was made for this, so why not make the most of it without going too far with the mods?