Defender Dakar racer goes road-legal as 626bhp limited edition
The Defender Dakar racer is now available as a highly exclusive off-road supercar with a 626bhp V8, a desert-ready suspension package – and numberplates.
The road-legal version of JLR’s works Dakar Rally entry is an uprated version of the extreme Defender Octa, featuring a suite of upgrades used in the formidable D7X-R rally raider, which won the new Stock category of last year’s event.
Previewed by a concept at Monterey Car Week, the Defender Dakar rides on a hardcore specialist suspension package that includes bespoke coils and motorsport-honed Bilstein Advanced dampers – and huge 35in All-Terrain tyres wrapped around forged 20in wheels.
It also comes with new rally-ready drive modes including Dunes, Gravel and, excitingly, Flight, which is designed to ensure smooth landings on “extreme and varied terrain”.
It’s powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged BMW-derived V8 engine as the Octa, pumping out 626bhp and 553lb ft of torque.
The Octa has been downtuned slightly in the name of emissions reduction, but it’s understood that the Dakar can retain the full output, because it will be sold in the UK via Individual Vehicle Approval.
The extreme off-road potential is signalled by a Dakar-flavoured makeover that adds roof-mounted light pods; carbonfibre air intakes and bonnet; extended wheel arches with exposed rivets; chunky mud flaps; and a blanking plate at the rear end instead of the traditional boot-mounted tyre.
That’s all supplemented by a choice of race-inspired paint schemes that includes a beige-and-turquoise livery modelled on 2025’s race winner.
A rock-bashing skidplate running front to rear underneath completes the overhaul.
The interior of the concept hasn’t yet been revealed, but it will be a more spartan arrangement than that of the Octa, with just four individual race seats – optionally equipped with racing harnesses – and dedicated storage space in the back for helmets, the spare wheel and an on-board compressor.
JLR hasn’t announced pricing nor how many units it will build, but the Dakar is sure to command a hefty premium over the £147,000 Octa when reservation slots open early next year.
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