To many Land Rover enthusiasts, the Discovery 3 (aka LR3 in North America) was a low point in the brand’s history, an unworthy successor to the original Discovery. It was too plasticky, too unreliable, and simply too different from the well-established Discovery that came before.

If you’re one of those people, this YouTube video from FullMag is for you. Recently, FullMag made waves with their slow-mo video of Black Rifle Coffee Company’s Prius (with a mounted 20 millimetre minigun) throwing hot lead (and lots of it) downrange.

Land Rover Discovery 3 destroyed by tank projectile
Land Rover Discovery 3 destroyed by tank projectile

In this video, a mere two rounds are fired – but we promise you that it’s well worth watching (regardless of how you feel about the oft-maligned Land Rover Discovery 3). The first round is a solid projectile fired out of a M60 tank, aimed directly at the Land Rover’s running engine.

The entire front end of the Discovery is utterly obliterated by the house cat-sized projectile. Were it not for the slow-motion video, all we’d see is the front end exploding into a cloud of jagged metal and plastic shrapnel in an instant.

Land Rover Discovery 3 destroyed by tank projectile

In an overhead shot, we can clearly see that the sheer force of impact from the projectile moved the Land Rover 30 degrees. The projectile left a gaping hole in the driver’s side fender, while ripping the passenger side front end of the Discovery nearly clean off.

The engine was utterly destroyed, with the crankshaft split in half. Several close-up views of the carnage attest to the sheer brutality the M60 tank is capable of – and that’s to say nothing of the other weapons systems onboard, which include a .50 BMG and .308 belt-fed machine guns.

With the front end decimated, FullMag turned their attention to the still-intact rear of the LR3. A recoilless rifle (RR) artillery system is the weapon of choice, but it wouldn’t be the business end facing down the Land Rover.

Land Rover Discovery 3 destroyed by tank projectile

Instead, the RR was pointed downrange, with the explosive back blast used to wreak havoc on the LR3’s passenger structure. Positioned just a few feet away, a massive fireball shot backwards, caving in the rear passenger compartment and blowing out every window on the truck.

What little sheetmetal remained was perforated by unburnt powder, resembling the aftermath of a hellacious shotgun blast. With that, this Land Rover Discovery 3 has become nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. I wonder what the folks at the salvage yard had to say about this one.

Gallery: Land Rover Discovery 3 destroyed by tank projectile