Land Rover Defender OCTA: heading for the Dakar!

A manufacturer who designs a production car with, clearly in mind, its following definition in competition according to restrictive technical regulations, does that not remind you of anything? Porsche and his 911 GT3 RS, obviously!

Well, it is in the same state of mind that Land Rover imagine his Defender OCTA (reference to the octahedral shape of diamond, the hardest and purest mineral known), the very one that will confront the rally Dakar in 2026 and the FIA ​​World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). It will not be a question of winning overall, against real prototypes, but in the Stock category reserved for production vehicles.

This choice will serve to highlight the reliability and off-road capabilities of the Defender OCTA. Under its hood, we will find a 8-liter twin-turbo V4,4 with 635 horsepower and 750 Nm of torque married to an all-wheel drive system. All encapsulated in a D7x aluminum monocoque architecture called " three times stronger than traditional designs ". Acceleration to 100 km/h takes only 4 seconds! With the optional 22-inch assembly (compared to 20 inches as standard with reinforced tires), it can go up to 250 km/h.

XXL dimensions

In this photo, we can also see that the tracks are outrageously widened (+68 mm), the ground clearance raised (+28 mm), the engine hood curved and the bumpers redesigned to increase the angles of attack and departure when crossing. The damping is no longer electronically controlled, but purely hydraulic and the suspension geometries are revised. Finally, it can cross fords up to 1 meter deep.

On board, the Defender OCTA is equipped with semi-bucket seats and polyurethane upholstery called Ultrafabrics in two-tone khaki and black in an almost military style. Produced in the Slovakian factory in Nitra, this Land Rover is sold from 201 euros in France in its Edition One finish, a price to which you will have to add 700 euros of ecological penalty. If you come across one, it will probably be a mirage…

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