Land RoverEven finishing the Dakar Rally is an achievement in itself. Land Rover's Defender went one better and won its class at the 2026 edition of the event, on its first attempt no less. The Defender Dakar D7X‑R driven by Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal finished in a time of 58 hours, 9 minutes, and 45 seconds, beating a pair of Toyota Land Cruisers and a Nissan Patrol.To celebrate that win, Land Rover has unveiled a production version of the Dakar-winning race car called the Defender Dakar. Debuting at The Quail at Monterey Car Week, this pre-production model is the first look at the new SUV, although it's not yet available to order. The automaker has confirmed that it will be "limited-edition," although hasn't yet confirmed exact production numbers.Much of the Defender Dakar's underlying platform is shared with the Defender Octa, which is currently the most powerful Defender ever made. Its 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged engine will be carried over from the Octa, as will its transmission and driveline, but the Defender Dakar is no simple reskin. Taking inspiration from the D7X-R, it will feature a wider track, rally-spec Bilstein dampers, forged 20-inch wheels, and a higher ride height.AdvertisementAdvertisementInside and out, the Defender Dakar also pays tribute to its race-winning counterpart. The two-tone sand-and-turquoise exterior is the lead color, and matches the color scheme of the D7X‑R, but other colors will also be available.Read more: 5 Common Problems With The Toyota HighlanderThe Defender Dakar will be fully road legalLand RoverMark Cameron, managing director of Defender, said that the Defender Dakar "pushed our engineers to go further than they've ever gone before." He continued, "First, we evolved Defender Octa into D7X‑R and then we asked: could we make the Dakar Rally‑winning D7X‑R road legal? The result is the Defender Dakar."Keen-eyed observers might have spotted that the race-spec Defender Dakar D7X‑R already wore license plates, and therefore was technically road legal, at least according to the laws of the U.K., where it was registered. Cameron told MotorTrend in January 2026 that the real challenge was getting the car to meet road regulations in other major markets around the world. In particular, meeting EU road regulations was tricky, he said, but the American market was not quite so difficult.AdvertisementAdvertisementA little over half a year later and Cameron and his team have evidently found a way to make the D7X‑R's race-derived components road legal in those markets, with order books for the Defender Dakar set to open in early 2027. The brand says that more details are set to be unveiled at the 2027 Dakar Rally, but buyers can already register expressions of interest ahead of the full launch. There are still far too many cool cars that Americans miss out on, but thankfully the Defender Dakar won't be one of them.Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on SlashGear.