Only two years ago, a new Discovery concept caused a buzz at the Frankfurt IAA event, but it seems that for cost reasons, the car will not be going into production after all.
Fans still enthuse about the original Discovery, or "Disco," which broke cover at the IAA in September 1989. It marked the brand's move into the market for mid-size luxury SUVs below the mighty Range Rover.
The model went on to become the Swiss army knife of the sports utility world, a roomy, go-anywhere companion that is equally suited to crossing a desert or taking the kids to school.
Since then, there have been five generations of the vehicle, with the fifth dating back only a few years.
The Discovery was essential for Land Rover, which needed to counter stiff opposition from the first streetwise off-roaders out of Asia and North America.
The project started in 1987 under the codename "Project Jay," and it took only two years before the Discovery was able to bask in the Frankfurt limelight.
The first models had only three doors, and it was a year before rear seat passengers had their own entry points.
The basic Discovery sold for 45,000 German marks and was available with a rustic, four-cylinder diesel engine that squeezed just 113hp from its 2.5 litres of capacity.
The V8 petrol option was preferable, with 147 horses on demand.
The Disco can still tackle the rough stuff well, but on the road, its performance is moderate by modern standards. Even the V8 does not like being pushed beyond its official top speed of 164kph.
Although not very entertaining to drive on tarmac, the Disco does offer a commanding driving position, with pleasantly light and responsive steering.
The Discovery has lived up to its name on countless occasions, which include a number of spectacular PR japes and expeditions. The Disco has ploughed through the Amazon jungle and made light of traversing a wilderness in Madagascar or braving the snowy wastes of Siberia.
For one cigarette company stunt, a Discovery was used to as motive power to haul a 110-ton train load in the Australian outback. It has also served as a mobile command centre for Red Cross mercy missions around the globe.
In 2012, the one millionth Discovery to roll off the assembly line travelled along the old Silk Road with a gala reception in Beijing while another amphibious version took to Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
The Defender was a veteran whose shape and style changed little down the years. The Discovery adapted quickly to the zeitgeist, and the first revamped version came in 1998. Back then, the name SUV was on hardly anybody's lips. The car gained airbags, and two years later an electronic downhill assistant took the worry out of steep descents.
By 2004, there was a third incarnation of the Discovery, with more emphasis on creature comforts. The bodywork was monocoque instead of being bolted to a chassis, and a suite of assistance systems made off-road progress easier. The fourth version was sold from 2009 and the fifth came two years later.
