car specs
The first ever full expedition
Land Rover Discovery3.
Why Land Rover Discovery?
At the beginning we had two car options in mind: Toyota or Land Rover. Talks proved more fruitful with LR Greece so our next dilemma was which model. We opted for the Discovery3 because Defender was obsolete in Greece and with no commercial interest. The Discovery3 was voted best in its class by 4TPOXOI magazine in 2005 and was the only car valid to be featured on the travel articles of the expedition.
Sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover
Late 2006 Land Rover of Greece requested from Jaguar Land Rover a special treatment for the Discovery3 that would be ordered on behalf of TheWorldOffroad expedition. The green TDV6 S car arrived in Greece with a 15k euros discount and a final price of 52k including the G4 Challenge Pack. 50% of the car cost was covered by LR of Greece and 50% by TheWorldOffrad and was paid in 48 monthly installments.
The right staff
Roverland Gabletsas workshop in Likovrisi of Athens was proposed by Land Rover Greece as the best workshop for the preparation of the expedition car. Works started in February 2007 and were completed in April thanks to the efforts of the team supervised by Spyros Koltsidas in cooperation with Outback Import, King Springs and Overfinch.
SUV turned to expedition vehicle
We needed a rugged, reliable but sporty and practical 4×4 and at the time the Discovery3 was the best option in the market. The transformation of the luxury SUV to expedition vehicle was minimal but substantial. The rear part of the interior was removed to fit two sturdy lockers for tools, kitchen equipment and electronic hardware. A 2,20×1,30 m Maggiolina tent with a solar panel was fitted on the roof. A solar supported secondary battery provided energy to a 12-220V inverter.
High tech & one of a kind
The development of our expedition Discovery3 provided us a car with unique characteristics. The engine mapping by Overfinch was thoroughly developed and tested by Roverland Gabletsas to provide us the maximum possible torque on the lower end. Jam Sport designed and developed silver, handmade, rally type shock absorbers that Overfinch commercialised aftermath in lighter version. Only two sets of coil springs were manufactured by Australian King Springs.
The car today
The car is in excellent conditions and permanently parked in a fresh garage in Italy. We regularly take it for a spin once every single week. The odometer shows 197k kilometres of which 167k were done in the trip. Engine and turbo have done only 95k kilometres and many components (rear diff, central axle, rack & pinion, shock absorbers, rear door) were replaced during our trip and the battery is brand new. The rear section of the interior looks like brand new as it was not used in the trip.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Model Year | 2007 |
| Doors/seats | 5 /5 |
| Colour | Tonga green |
| Maximum speed | 180 km/h |
| 0 – 100 km/h | 11.5 sec |
| Fuel capacity | 192 lt (82 + 110) |
| Dimensions | 4835 x 2009 x 1887 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2885 mm |
| Engine layout | V6 front longitudinal |
| Displacement | 2720 cc |
| Power | 225 PS / 4000 rpm |
| Torque | 440 Nm / 1900 rpm |
| Fuel System | Diesel common rail |
| Valvetrain | DOHC, 4 valves/cylinder |
| Bore x Stroke | 81 x 88 mm |
| Compression ratio | 18:1 |
| Transmission | ZF 6 speed manual – 4WD |
| Suspension layout | Independent – double wishbone |
| Brakes | Front & rear ventilated discs |
| Consumption | 12,3 lt/100 km |
| Standard weight | 2528 kg |
| Expedition weight | 3460 kg |
| Tyres standard | 235/70-17 |
| Tyres Africa | Cooper Tires 245/70-17 |
| Tyres Asia – America | BF Goodrich All Terrain 245/75-17 |
EXPEDITION EQUIPMENT
G4 Challenge Package
Warn 9,500 lbs (4.3 ton) winch
Bull bar with auxiliary headlights
Snorkel
Roof rack
Dog guard
Headlight shields
Overfinch 225 hp engine mapping
developed and tested by Roverland Gabletsas
Jam Sport Package
Handmade, individually designed, rally type shock absorbers
Kaymar Package
110 lt auxiliary fuel tank in spare wheel compartment, double spare wheel carrier and metal rear bumper
Autohome Maggiolina roof tent
provided by Zampetas Camping Megastore in Thessaloniki
King Springs
heavy duty yellow coil springs
Navarino Satellite communications
Thrane Explorer 500 Inmarsat 384 kbps terminal
Skywave D+ Pole Star position reporter
Motorola 9505A Satellite phone
Conergy Solar System
75W solar panel on roof tent, auxiliary, fast charge 45h battery in engine compartment connected via switch to main battery, 12-220V inverter
Waeco CDF26 21 lt cool freeze
provided by Zampetas Camping Megastore in Thessaloniki
4kinisi Mag package
Sand ladders & 60 lt water tank