Beijing, China, April 23, 2012 – Land Rover’s biggest modern-day overland expedition, the Journey of Discovery, has reached the finish line with the one millionth Discovery arriving in perfect time to appear at the Beijing Motor Show.
The Journey, which saw four vehicles travel more than 8,000 miles from Birmingham to Beijing, aims to raise £1million (GBP) for the company’s Global Humanitarian Partner, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
It began on February 29, at the Solihull manufacturing plant where the one millionth Discovery was built, and since its ceremonial send-off at the Geneva Motor Show it has passed through 13 countries over challenging terrain ranging from snow in the Alps to sun-baked sand dunes in the Taklimakan Desert.
John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director said: “This has been an epic journey between two of the biggest events on the automotive calendar and, as we expected, it has demonstrated virtually every condition a Land Rover is designed to cope with.
“This has been a very relevant journey for Land Rover, taking such a landmark vehicle from its birthplace to one of our fastest growing markets and showcasing it in all terrains.
“We are delighted to see the Journey reach its physical target in Beijing and we are equally delighted with the response to the fundraising cause. We will be continuing the push to reach or exceed our target right up to the end of May.”
The Journey of Discovery has been all about discovering the stories of people and places along its route.
It joined the Aosta Valley avalanche team in Italy; visited the Chernobyl reactor and drove through a secret Soviet submarine base in the Ukraine; visited exclusive inner parts of the Kremlin, tested some classic Soviet vehicles and took a tour of Moscow with a Bolshoi ballet dancer in Russia.
It went into the wild in the Kazakhstan desert; met a group of fishermen in the near-dry Aral Sea in Uzbekistan; and travelled along the spice and silk routes into China, where the final leg included sand dune driving, a visit to the Great Wall and a trip on a sheepskin raft.
Appearing in Beijing in an unwashed state after a Journey that took over 50 days, the one millionth Discovery will be returning to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (Heritage Museum at Gaydon) following the expedition.
THE JOURNEY IN NUMBERS
•17,500 images taken
•80 hours of video
•78 cities visited
•Total people participated on event: 112 including crew and media
•50 days
•10,000 miles
•2,920 miles driven in China alone
•Highest point: 3,700m Torugart pass, Kyrgyzstan & China
•Lowest point: 10m below sea level, Turfan, China
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