Land Rover Discovery

The story

Land Rover built the Discovery on the Range Rover's chassis to keep costs down, then gave it a stepped roof so seven people could sit inside. The new Tdi diesel was tough and frugal. It sold faster than the factory could build it.

Inside

Conran's designers did the cabin in pale Sonar Blue, with map nets in the roof, glass alpine lights and a zip-out shoulder bag between the front seats.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Meanwhile, in 1989

The Berlin Wall came down, and satellite television arrived in Britain.

Best-selling single of 1989: Ride On Time by Black Box

Before you buy a 1980s car

• Check for rust in the usual places, though many cars from this decade were better protected.
• Electrical and fuel system faults are common, so test everything.
• Parts for mass-market cars are usually easy to find.

General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.

Rivals of its day

Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.

See the real thing

These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.