TOP BILLING

Discovery 3 deserves its accolade as the best off-road – and so does a brand-new show at Billing

“If we can rekindle the spirit of old Billing we have succeeded”

While the Land Rover order books for the allnew Discovery are pretty much full up, we have instead opted to put a Discovery 3 on the cover. I like to call it the car that saved Land Rover because at the time of its launch in 2004 they were a company under pressure due to reliability issues and poor after-sales service. Remember how the diehard Discovery 1 and 2 owners cursed its revolutionary styling and looks? Now those very same people own and love them. How the wheel has turned.

I first had the privilege of driving one in 2004 at its international launch in northern Scotland. I was just blown away by its incredible off-road capabilities. I knew straight away that Land Rover had created a winner. So, find out on page 42 why we think that now is a good time to buy a Discovery 3. For this month’s cover shoot the friendly and knowledgeable Sarah and Richard Arrowsmith hosted us on Grange Farm, also home to the legendary Billing off-road tracks. At the end of July they will be holding the first ever Billing Off-road Show. This should not be confused with the old Billing Land Rover Show, which was held at the nearby Billing Aquadrome, though they did make use of Richard’s offroad tracks.

Richard and Sarah have decided to focus on all the things that Land Rover fans want: hot showers, cold beers, live music, family-friendly camping facilities, clean ablutions, clubs and – last but not least – a memorable off-road experience.

Richard explains why: “If we can rekindle the atmosphere and spirit of the old Billing then we have succeeded.”

And yes, there will be an ice-cream at the exit of the water run. See you there.