A Land Rover Defender Octa will get chucked into the ‘stock’ category of the World Rally Raid Championship next January, and the first images of the prototype—christened the ‘Dakar D7X-R’—have just dropped.
Sporting a fresh camo livery teeming with white stickers, the backdrop for these initial tests is the Moroccan section of the Sahara Desert, chosen to ‘mirror’ the sort of extreme heat and dusty conditions the D7X-R will face in less than eight months. And an excuse for some of the engineers to kick up a plume or two, probably.
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Since it’s entering the stock category, it’s almost identical to the standard Octa underneath: same aluminum structure, eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive. No changes to the BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, either, so we’re assuming it still kicks out 626hp and 750Nm of torque.
Land Rover has also used the opportunity to confirm its works team lineup, which includes talented rookie Rokas Baciuska and 14-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel. He’s managed that from just 35 entries, by the way, which is one hell of a hit rate. A third driver will also be confirmed in due course.
Reckon the D7X-R can dethrone the Nokia 3310 as the world’s single toughest object?
More photos of the Land Rover Defender Octa Dakar D7X-R:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
