Land Rover Defender prepares for the Dakar desert rally
The first hints of a new generation Dakar Defender surfaced in the summer and stirred plenty of excitement. Now Land Rover has shown the machine without hesitation. The marathon begins on 3 January, and the British brand will line up something that still looks like a standard Defender yet quietly pushes the limits of the tightly regulated Stock category.
Engineers started with the range topping Defender Octa and its 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 with 635 horsepower. For the Dakar prototype, named D7X R, they improved cooling, revised the gearing for long special stages and moved a 550 litre fuel tank into the boot.
The suspension gained Bilstein dampers proven in rally series, and the structure was adapted to withstand loads a typical urban driver could scarcely imagine. The car now wears 35 inch tyres and more powerful brakes. All of this was achieved without altering the Defender’s basic suspension kinematics, although the track grew by 60 millimetres and ground clearance increased significantly. The result still resembles the original Defender on paper, but its capability belongs to another species.
The body gained wider arches and new bumpers that improve approach and departure angles. Inside, bucket seats, updated instruments and a mandatory desert rally roll cage set the tone.
To crown it all, the factory team will be led by the Dakar king himself. Fourteen time winner Stéphane Peterhansel takes charge of the project, a reassuring presence that might make even the sand dunes hesitate for a moment.
The Dakar starts in Saudi Arabia on 3 January. The desert never offers mercy, but the Defender seems determined to prove itself where a machine is tested most honestly.
