According to the legend, Maurice used to spend all the free time on his farm on Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. Being in dire need of hybrid between cross-country vehicle and a light truck, he bought an American Willys Jeep form army property clearance sale. When old jeep got worn-out, Wilks brothers designed their own, instead of buying a new one.
In the mid-80s Land Rover engineers and designers were working on vehicle, intended for a family car market segment. It was decided to use a Range Rover wheel base with a simpler and less expensive body. The result of hard work on the project was the Land Rover Discovery, presented on 16 September 1989 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Discovery was for Land Rover’s pioneer project for a new market segment of all-wheel drive cars.
Between 1980 and 2000, The Camel Trophy – annual vehicle-oriented competition was held. It was best known for its use of Land Rover vehicles over challenging terrain. Those motorsport events have been called “the Olympics of 4×4”, and were all about adventure and exploration. Throughout 20 years, courageous explorers visited Amazon, Sumatra, Zaire, Brazil, Borneo, Australia, Madagascar and more. Those dangerous expeditions through difficult terrain put human and vehicle endurance to real test. Over the course of the twenty years, all of the Land Rover vehicle range were used, including Range Rover, Series III, Defender, Discovery and Freelander.