A 1989 G-reg Discovery, saved from scrap, rolls out of a barn for Jonny Smith
The two-door 200Tdi came from a Land Rover trader who was asked to crush it and stored it instead, and it passed 100,000 views in its first twelve hours.
The Late Brake ShowStory of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
Barn Find Discovery of 1 of 48 surviving Land Rovers - Will it Run?
One upload, straight to the top. Jonny Smith's only new video, "Barn Find Discovery of 1 of 48 surviving Land Rovers - Will it Run?", went past 100,000 views in about half a day, far quicker than anything else on The Late Brake Show right now.
The star is a very early Discovery 1, a November 1989 build with the 200Tdi diesel and just two doors. Its owner, Dan, a man who once had 18 Land Rovers at the same time, was asked to scrap it and quietly put it away instead, hoping to restore it one day. The episode also wanders through his workshop: a Rover P5B V8 found in the same barn, a Defender TD5 firing up, a winch job, and a Honda Crosswind wearing Isuzu-era rebadging. The description wonders whether this could be one of the earliest two-door Discoverys left.
The comments read like a family photo album. Several viewers remember fathers who sold or drove the very same model, one recalls sitting in one at the 1989 Motorfair, and a sharp-eyed fan explains that the pouch behind the rear seats was there to stow the removable sunroof glass. A few also admit that seeing a Discovery treated as a classic makes them feel old.
The new video also helps an older one: viewers were glad Jonny compared the Discovery with his Talbot Matra Rancho, the late-1970s soft-roader he is rebuilding on Subaru Impreza underpinnings, and that update is still drawing a steady crowd a week on.
Across the whole week the channel ran a little below its usual pace, adding about 600,000 views while the subscriber count held where it was. Among the motoring channels nearest its size it sat in the middle of the group, close to Car and Driver, while the two workshop channels, Jim's Automotive Machine Shop and ClawBoss, drew several times as many views.
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What viewers say
You know you are old when a Discovery is considered an old classic.
@PHDarrenSee it on YouTubeAt 22.52 the pouch on the back of the rear seats is to put the sunroof glass in, as they could be removed.
@Tom-w4l6tSee it on YouTubeRemember sitting in these at the 1989 Motorfair - just prior to the Dealer Launch.
Seeing one is this state makes me feel really old!@byronmills5952See it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on The Late Brake Show right now
- Channel
- The Late Brake Show
- Subscribers
- 807,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 608,293
- Videos published this week
- 1
- Video published
- October 4, 2026
- Video views so far
- 103,017
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💡 Test your knowledge
The Land Rover Discovery first went on sale in which year?
Land Rover launched the first Discovery in 1989, which is why Jonny's November 1989 two-door is such an early one.
