ALL-NEW LAND ROVER DISCOVERY MAKES DEBUT ON GIANT LEGO TOWER BRIDGE
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(SOLIHULL, U.K.) – September 28, 2016 – Land Rover has revealed the fifth -generation full-size Discovery SUV by breaking a Guinness World Record for the largest LEGO structure ever built.
Long-term Land Rover Discovery owners Bear Grylls, Sir Ben Ainslie and Zara Phillips MBE took part in the dynamic live reveal of the most versatile Land Rover vehicle around a 42.6-foot high LEGO version of London’s Tower Bridge.
The all-new Discovery embodies the Land Rover drive to go Above and Beyond, combining British desirability with an unstoppable spirit of adventure. It is highly desirable, combining capability and technology in new and unique ways for the Land Rover brand.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, said, “the all-new Discovery redefines the full-size SUV. The Land Rover design and engineering teams have revolutionized the DNA of Discovery to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and hugely capable premium SUV.”
Everyday ingenuity has been at the heart of the Discovery for the last 27 years, with more than 1.2 million customers to date. The fifth-generation Discovery is for the digital age. Ingenious technology assists drivers and keeps passengers connected and confident on a variety of surfaces, terrains and weather conditions to help ensure their destination is reached.
The fifth-generation model benefits from a Land Rover architecture that is both strong and lightweight; delivering comfort and adaptability like no other Discovery before it.
The reveal set was made from 5,805,846 individual LEGO bricks; breaking the previous Guinness World Record by 470,646 pieces. Laid end to end, the bricks would stretch for almost 200 miles, or from Tower Bridge in London to Paris.
Led by the UK’s only LEGO Certified Professional, Duncan Titmarsh, it took five months for expert LEGO Master Builders in the UK to construct the incredible Tower Bridge structure. It was erected in the grounds of Packington Hall, Warwickshire, UK – close to the Land Rover plant in Solihull, where the all-new Discovery will be produced.
As part of the dramatic reveal sequence, British adventurer Bear Grylls appeared in typically exciting fashion by abseiling from the top of the huge Tower Bridge installation, through the open drawbridge and onto the stage beside the all-new Discovery.
The finale was Land Rover BAR Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie driving his sailing team through 35-inch-deep water under the bridge – demonstrating the water fording capability(2) of the fifth generation Discovery. Sir Ben towed a LEGO replica of the Land Rover BAR boat, a meticulously recreated 186,500-brick model of the boat that will challenge for next year’s America’s Cup.
The model of Tower Bridge was flanked by two LEGO ‘Discovery Zones’ celebrating 27 years of Land Rover Discovery heritage. An Equestrian Zone, hosted by accomplished rider Zara Phillips, featured a typically British picnic scene made entirely from LEGO bricks. The Bear Grylls Adventure Zone included a LEGO fire and boulders to represent a scene from a typical mountain exploration.
The all-new Discovery represents the next step in the journey of transformation from cogs to code for the Land Rover brand. The latest Discovery has been designed, engineered and manufactured with the help of some of the 1,300 talented young engineers currently enrolled in the company’s leading training programs. Jaguar Land Rover is one of UK's leading recruiters of graduates and apprentices, 3,000 have joined in the past six years and 400 new recruits have started in 2016.
Bear Grylls said, “I have developed a powerful bond with Land Rover vehicles over the years and to me they embody that spirit of adventure coupled with a rugged reliability that also serves the needs of a young family. The Land Rover Discovery is invaluable on expeditions, whether filming in deserts, jungles or mountains, yet it’s still the perfect vehicle for the family's everyday use. It's a proud moment to be here with Land Rover revealing the all-new Discovery to the world.”
Emma Owen, LEGO UK and Ireland Spokeswoman, said, “We are thrilled that Jaguar Land Rover has used LEGO bricks to add some Guinness World Record-breaking creativity to the launch of the latest Discovery. This is an epic, outstanding build that absolutely captures the imagination in a way we haven't seen before. With LEGO bricks and some imagination you really can build anything!”
(1) Third row seating is an optional feature on select Discovery models.
(2) Dependent on the selected Discovery vehicle trim and options.
Further information
About Land Rover
Land Rover, the British maker of Land Rover and Range Rover sport utility vehicles, is renowned for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world. Every Land Rover vehicle is equally at home both on and off road, and in any setting; be it in the heart of the city, or traversing the countryside. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque and LR4 (Discovery). Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures its vehicles in the United Kingdom. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information, visit the official Land Rover website at www.landroverusa.com
About Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover is the UK's largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.
The company employs almost 38,000 people globally, with 330 in the U.S. and supports around 275,000 more through our dealerships, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centered in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil and India.
At Jaguar Land Rover we are driven by a desire to create class-leading products that deliver great customer experiences. The largest investor in R&D in the UK manufacturing sector, we have invested £12 billion (USD$15.7 billion) in the last five years and in the current year alone will spend over £3 billion (USD$3.9 billion) on new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold 487,065 vehicles in 160 countries, with more than 80% of our vehicles produced in the UK being sold abroad.
About Zara Phillips MBE
Zara Phillips is a renowned and accomplished British equestrian rider, Olympic medalist, and the second-eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Following a successful career as a young rider, which included victory in the Under-25 Championship at Bramham and an individual silver medal in the European Young Riders Championship in 2002, Zara strongly established herself at senior level in 2003 by finishing second at the Burghley three-day event with Toytown.
Following disappointment in the selection for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, due to Toytown’s injury, Zara went on to win two gold medals on her senior debut at the 2005 European Championships at Blenheim. Further successes followed, with an individual gold and team silver at the World Equestrian Games in 2006 and a team silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
Despite being the youngest rider in Team GB, Zara showed great strength under enormous pressure with a solid dressage display and a flawless performance in the cross-country on her Olympic horse, High Kingdom. As President of the British Olympic Association, Princess Anne presented her daughter with her silver medal; Zara became the first athlete in the modern history of the Games to be awarded a medal by their mother.
Following the birth of her first child in January 2014, Zara was competing at the highest level once again just seven months later winning a team silver medal at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.
About Sir Ben Ainslie
Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. At his first Olympic Games, aged 19, he won a silver medal and went on to establish himself as the world’s best by winning consecutive gold medals at the next four Games.
Fresh from his London 2012 success, Ben turned his focus to the challenge of winning the America’s Cup. In the summer of 2013 he joined Oracle Team USA for their defence of the 34th Cup, helping the American team win the event 9-8 against Emirates Team New Zealand. He was an instrumental part in one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks, becoming the first Briton for 110 years to be part of a winning Cup team.
Now stepping into a new role, as Land Rover BAR Team Principal, Ben will develop and lead a British entry into the 35th America’s Cup, with the aim of bringing the Cup back to Britain - where it all began in 1851.
About Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls has become known around the world as one of the most recognised faces of survival and outdoor adventure. His journey to this acclaim started in the UK, where his late father taught him to climb and adventure.
Trained from a young age in martial arts, Bear went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces, serving with 21 SAS. It was here that he perfected many of the skills that his fans all over the world enjoy watching him pit against Mother Nature.
His TV Emmy-nominated show Man Vs Wild/Born Survivor became one of the most watched programmes on the planet with an estimated audience of 1.2 billion. He then progressed to US network TV, hosting the hit adventure show ‘Running Wild’ on NBC, where he takes some of the world’s best known movie stars on incredible adventures, including the likes of President Barack Obama, Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Zac Efron and Channing Tatum.
Having written 20 books, including the number one bestselling autobiography Mud, Sweat & Tears, Bear is now bringing the adventure to our doorsteps with his first UK live arena spectacular, Endeavour, which will see Bear recreate some of the greatest moments of human exploration in an arena near you. Tickets are available now from www.BearGryllsLive.com
Bear also co-owns and hosts the BAFTA award-winning ‘The Island with Bear Grylls’ on Channel 4, which has sold as a format all around the world.
Bear also owns and hosts ITV and CITV’s ‘Bear Grylls Survival School’ as well as Survivor Games and Absolute Wild for Chinese TV.
Bear is currently the youngest ever Chief Scout to the UK Scout Association and is an honorary Colonel to the Royal Marines Commandos.
Guinness World Records’ title-breaking LEGO structure:
5,335,200 is the current record for the largest structure made from plastic interlocking bricks (LEGO).
LEGOland Windsor took nearly two years to build and used around 30 million bricks in total. The Land Rover bridge used 5,805,846 bricks and took five months to build.
At 42.6-feet the Tower Bridge structure is around twice as high as a standard two-story house.
Top 5 Lego structures in the world
Land Rover Discovery Tower Bridge (2016) – 19-feet bricks
Star Wars X-Wing Fighter (2013) – 17.4-feet bricks
Lego house created for James May's BBC programme Toy Stories (2009) – 10.8-feet bricks
Herobot 9000 A mecha robot (2011) – 9.1-feet bricks
Allianz Arena scale replica of the spectacular Munich soccer stadium (2005) – 4.3-feet bricks
