Built to celebrate Land Rover’s 40th anniversary, this vehicle was specially adapted to be able to navigate water and was successfully tested on lakes, rivers, canals and the sea.

Outwardly, it is not immediately obvious that this Land Rover is an unusual vehicle, apart from the discrete propeller and rudder at the back. Once fitted with its floats, however, it is ready for negotiating the water.

The team at Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations are used to creating one-off specials, and this amphibious vehicle is no different. Technically more of a raft, it was built for Cowes Week (one of the world’s oldest and largest sailing regattas based off the Isle of Wight) and was used to cross the Solent during the 1989 event that was sponsored by Land Rover. The following year an amphibious Discovery was launched at Cowes Week to mark the release of the new model.

With the generous support of Land Rover World magazine, this vehicle was restored in 2003 and was reunited with the water, successfully negotiating the River Thames, the Caledonian Canal  and lochs of Scotland.