Defender has introduced the mannequin with which it would compete within the upcoming 2026 Dakar Rally within the Inventory class.
The British producer introduced at the beginning of this month that it’s going to enter the Dakar subsequent 12 months, though it remained to be recognized with which mannequin it could accomplish that.
On Monday, Defender revealed its OCTA mannequin because the car with which it would lay the foundations of its participation within the occasion, in addition to within the FIA Rally-Raid World Championship.
The car features a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine and can preserve the unique architectural design in its bodywork, transmission and D7x driveline.
The crew will conduct a collection of testing and improvement programmes all year long, and its official unveiling will happen later within the 12 months.
“Taking over essentially the most demanding rally‑raid occasion on the earth represents the last word check of our most excessive Defender thus far,” mentioned Mark Cameron, Defender’s managing director.
“We all know that Dakar shall be an immense problem, however Defender OCTA combines big efficiency with attribute Defender functionality and sturdiness – the right foundations for what I’m assured shall be a extremely aggressive rally‑raid car.”
“Taking over essentially the most demanding rally-raid occasion on the earth represents the last word check of our most excessive Defender thus far,” added James Barclay, managing director of JLR Motorsport and crew principal of Jaguar’s Method E crew.
“We all know that Dakar shall be an immense problem, however Defender OCTA combines big efficiency with attribute Defender functionality and sturdiness – the right foundations for what I am assured shall be a extremely aggressive rally-raid car.”
Land Rover’s Defender model was already the official car companion for Dakar this 12 months and equipped 20 SUVs to ferry race officers and VIPs. An extra six modified Recee autos will be part of the fleet to assist organise ASO plan the route for the 2026, ’27 and ’28 editions of the Dakar.
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