1996 Land Rover Discovery Trek / Camel Trophy on 2040-cars

For your consideration, a 1996 Land Rover Discovery Trek-Camel Trophy truck, 1 of  the 10 trucks produced, exclusively for, and used in, the North American Land River Discovery Trek competition ‘96

There is a great video of the event, which is posted on Youtube (enter 1996 Land Rover Trek Event) and was produced by ESPN, and narrated by Bob Varsha.

There is also a Facebook page dedicated to these vehicles called the Trek Registry.

That said, the truck you see here is most likely the straightest and most rust free example of the surviving vehicles, with absolutely no rust anywhere, whatsoever, most likely attributed to having spent a majority of it’s life in Arizona, where It was acquired by Land Rover Scottsdale, post event.

As such, the paint on the Discovery is all original, and it carries a patina that is consistent with it’s age and latitude, and is quite presentable, The undercarriage and drive line are bone dry.

Upon completion of the Trek event, the 10 Discovery’s were all lightly refurbished by Land Rover, with some of the decals  being changed or removed, and then they were sold as demo vehicles.

All of the Trek Discovery’s were fitted with the 4.0 aluminum V8, mated to a 5 speed R380 manual transmission. This particular example starts, runs, drives, steers, and stops as it should, and is in need of nothing mechanically at this time.

It rides on Pro Comp 265/75-16 M/T tires, including a brand new spare, mounted on XD specific wheels. There is also a 2” suspension lift in place, incorporating Old Man Emu shocks and Rovertym springs.

All of these trucks were sunroof delete vehicles, fitted with the desirable SD “high” roof rack, front skid plate, winch basket, Warn winch, Hella driving lights, and a sponsorship graphics package. 

My truck is fitted with the rear jump seats, as well

I am told that the winch on my truck was actually stolen while it was on display at the dealership in Scottsdale, hence it’s absence.

The previous owner also removed many of the sponsorship decals that were on the truck, with the ones remaining showing, again, an attractive patina.

Some recent additions to the Discovery include the following:

Hella 4ooo lights (2)

Hella 700 lights (4)

Hella rear spot / work lamp

New rear door glass rubber seal (uninstalled)

New rear side window seals (uninstalled)

New rear roof ladder

New hood blackout decal (with the impression of the Trek event decal still underneath)

New front grill w/ badge

New front indicator lamps

New rear bumper lamps

New OEM mud flaps

New self dimming rear view mirror (uninstalled)

New Exmore front seat foams and diaphragms

As a matter of personal taste, I removed the carpet  and the foam underlayment, exposing the  immaculate flooring underneath. I also took the opportunity to scuff a couple of dime sized blemishes, and I touched them up using a single stage Land Rover AA Yellow paint. I sprayed the outside exposure of the front seat bases, as well, as I never intended to re-install the black plastic surrounds.

As for negatives, I cannot think of anything really pressing, but here are a few items that could eventually be tended to:

There is a small crack in the windshield, below the sight line, that may possibly be able to be repaired. It has been there for quite some time.

The 3 rear window seals are sun cracked, but do not leak, and I am including the new seals in the sale of the truck. The safari window seals are in excellent condition.

The door cards have a bit of dry rot along the top horizontal surfaces, but not horrible.

The door seals are original, as are the radio & speakers, so replacing them eventually might not be a bad idea.

The paint, again, is presentable, but a bit thin and rubbed through in some places. The original decals are scratched and faded, but original to the truck, and like the paint, add to the overall appeal.

Included with the sale of the truck, are the following items:

The original bull bar, faded, but otherwise in perfect condition

The original Hella 500’s (2) and 550 Comet lights (2)

The original owner’s book & extensive factory service manuals (3 binders)

A box of miscellaneous new and used small parts

All of the original carpet, in good condition

All of the original foam underlayment, minus the front section, which had deteriorated beyond use

A full set of original Land Rover rubber floor mats.

The original fire extinguisher

The original under seat CD changer

Original cargo area cover

This is an awesome truck, and a great piece of Land Rover history, specifically Land Rover history here in North America.

These vehicles were put into competition to give a select cross-section of Land Rover employees the opportunity to experience some of the rigors of the Camel Trophy, and this particular example may well possibly represent the closest thing to owning one of those hallowed Camel Trophy trucks on this side of the pond, 50 state legal, and with proper factory sponsored competition pedigree, intact.

Please feel free to contact me with requests for additional photos and/or descriptive.