A Land Rover at the Nürburgring isn't exactly unusual, but this Defender still has our full attention. The CarBuzz spy photographers have snapped what looks like the hard-core Defender Octa, but isn't. It's more like an Octa with the accessory catalog thrown at it, and that gives us some clues about the intent for this SUV, which looks like a road-legal version of the Defender it sent to Dakar. This Defender Looks Ready To Go On The Attack CarBuzz/Valnet At first glance, all the key elements of Land Rover's 626-horsepower twin-turbo Defender Octa are there. The massively pushed out fenders, along with chunky wheels and all-terrain tires are also present and accounted for. It even has the Octa's grille, or at least something that looks like it.But there are differences between the two, starting with twin snorkels. Yes, there are not one but two high-mounted air inlets coming out of the fenders and running up the A-pillars. The hard-core Octa comes with zero.This Defender is also fitted with a set of roof rails with slots that appear to be ready to fit additional accessories. The roof of the Octa is quite clearly rack-free, despite the go-anywhere capabilities. It is also missing the spare tire, though that could be for the tests, and the tow hooks in the rear bumper are red instead of Octa's bronze.What, then, is JLR cooking up? Our spies suggest that a more extreme version of the Octa is possible, but also that it could be something different. A Near-Match For The Dakar-Winning Defenders CarBuzz/Valnet It looks very similar to the Defender that Land Rover sent to the Dakar Rally earlier this year, where it won its class the first time out. That race-ready model was called the Defender Dakar D7X-R, and it was a surprisingly stock Defender Octa.Modifications for the race included a wider track, increased ride height, new suspension, and better cooling. We can see that this has a very wide track. It's tougher to tell if the ride is higher, because it's hard into a bend, though. It's also tough to see if the wheels are the same thanks to the prototype's tire inflation system, but they definitely could be a match.We want to circle back to one other detail: the missing spare tire. It's possible it's missing for the test, but look at the rear of the Dakar racers. The Octa has a spare, the Defender Dakar does not.It's not confirmation, but we're looking at some very strong hints. Hints that come together to show that this is most likely the road version of the Dakar D7X-R. A new flagship to sit above even the Octa in the company lineup? Maybe not, but it's clearly something at the same level.The Octa's BMW-sourced V8 is already turned up beyond anything BMW offers, and so it's probably at its max for anything with a warranty. But JLR has plenty of space to upgrade by making the SUV slightly wider or by swapping the 6D Dynamics air suspension system with a set of Bilstein dampers like the rally trucks. We can't be sure if those are coil springs in the rear, but they look like they are.Watch this space as the Defender goes through more tests, and we get better and better looks at the SUV and its capabilities.Land Rover Defender 7
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