Here’s your first look at the V8 Defender Octa that’ll take on the Dakar

Land Rover is chucking a Defender Octa 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.

Since it’s entering the stock category, it’s almost identical to the standard Octa underneath: same aluminium structure, eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. No changes to the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, either, so we’re assuming it still kicks out 626bhp and 553lb ft.

Land Rover has also used the opportunity to confirm its works team line-up, 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?