Road-legal Defender Dakar is 635hp ‘pinnacle’

While we knew a road-legal version of the Dakar-winning Defender D7X-R was almost certainly inbound (not least because Land Rover told PH in Saudi Arabia that such a car was in the mix), it says something about the result that we still had to comically rub our eyes, like Steve Guttenburg doing panto. That’s because we’d foolishly assumed that the manufacturer might take the easy way: i.e. launch an OCTA with a smidge more power, on slightly sillier wheels and call it a day. It would hardly have been the first to treat a Dakar badge lightly. 

But we were wrong. Based on the pictures, Land Rover (and Prodrive) have done a mightily good job of retaining everything outwardly that made the D7X-R such a strikingly handsome off-roader. That includes, most notably, the dramatically wider tracks, updated geometry and the extended wheel arches, not to mention a very similar looking front undershield that sets the tone for that leaner, meaner front end. Throw in proper 35-inch all-terrain tyres on forged 20-inch wheels, and we really are talking about Bowler levels of Defender-based lunacy. 

Granted, there’s a tongue-in-cheek aspect to Land Rover talking about retaining the ‘architecture, transmission and driveline’ of the D7X-R, given the rules of its Dakar class decreed that these features must be shared with the road car anyway – but no matter. We very much like its BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8, especially as the absence of race regulations mean it can be returned to its full 635hp output. Apparently a superior level of cooling has been retained for the production model, though we’ll assume Prodrive’s bespoke management software has been replaced by something more user-friendly. 

Certainly Land Rover will have reverted to a more environmentally-friendly exhaust system (the Dakar version was spectacularly unencumbered), and presumably the larger rims – the race car was on 17s – mean the chunkier OCTA brakes have returned. But new owners are unlikely to begrudge such items, not when the roof-mounted light pods, fixed metal roof, raised air intakes, carbon fibre bonnet and signature mud flaps are all in place. You can even have a signature Dakar Sand body and Yanbu Turquoise roof combination inspired by the D7X-R’s livery. 

Better still, and potentially the car’s defining feature from a handling perspective, is confirmation that coil springs and ‘motorsport-proven’ Bilstein dampers replace the OCTA’s air springs and hydraulically interlinked 6D Dynamics system. A much more robust chassis was at the heart of Prodrive’s modifications, and is almost certain to deliver a gnarlier driving experience, particularly off-road. With that in mind, Land Rover will furnish the car with new Dunes and Gravel drive modes, as well as the ‘Flight mode’ designed to accommodate big jumps. 

At time of writing, the manufacturer hasn’t provided pictures of the interior (the car revealed at Monterey is described as a Design Preview Model), but we’re told it will feature ‘a 2+2 seating configuration with row-one race seats specifically designed for Defender Dakar’, which ought to make it seem very different to the OCTA (albeit less like the two-seat racer). That said, you do get a specially engineered mounting for the spare wheel and air compressor in the boot, alongside stowage for race helmets. You can even spec four-point harnesses if you wish. 

“We’ve pushed our engineers to go further than they’ve ever gone before,” said Mark Cameron, Managing Director of the Defender brand. “ First, we evolved Defender OCTA into D7X-R and then we asked: could we make the Dakar Rally-winning D7X-R road legal? The result is the Defender Dakar. This limited-run model will showcase everything we’ve learned in some of the toughest environments and most competitive conditions imaginable. An authentic Defender, made from unstoppable DNA.”

The price, of course, is likely to give anyone pause for thought. An OCTA Black currently retails for £157,245 in the UK, and the limited edition flagship will far exceed it in the pecking order. A six-figure price tag beginning with, at minimum, a two, is guaranteed – not least because each car must be transferred to Prodrive, where it will take around 150 hours for the technicians to turn it into a fully-fledged Dakar. That said, based on the registrations of interest it already claims to have received, Land Rover is unlikely to experience a lack of demand when the new model becomes available to reserve early next year. Doubly so if the D7X-R becomes a repeat winner at the next conveniently timed Dakar Rally…