A top-secret Land Rover Defender V8 is being developed to challenge the Mercedes-AMG G 63, as evidenced by these spy shots of the new Defender flagship caught testing on roads near Jaguar Land Rover's UK R&D hub.
At first glance, it's hard to differentiate this pre-production model from the standard Land Rover Defender 110 -- which arrives here in August, followed by the two-door Defender 90 in October -- but look closer and you'll see it has quad exhaust outlets like those on the Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography.
Aside from the tailpipes there are no other exterior changes, but registration data for the vehicle photographed indicates it is powered by a 4999cc petrol engine.
This suggests the mule pictured shares the same Jaguar 'AJ' 5.0-litre supercharged V8 as the Range Rover Sport SVR and the Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography.
Confusingly, it was originally thought the AJ V8 was set to go out of production following Ford's decision to cease production of the 5.0-litre V8 at its Welsh factory this September 2020.
One theory is JLR is stockpiling the British-made supercharged V8s for a low-volume run of Defender V8s, but it's more likely this Defender V8 prototype is running a temporary engine for chassis calibration, until a supply of BMW-sourced twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8s arrive as part of the new powertrain deal between JLR and BMW.
Whatever the case, the fastest-ever Land Rover Defender will pack at least 375kW and around 800Nm of torque.
Combined with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, the top-shelf Defender V8 should hit 100km/h in around 4.5 seconds and top out at 220km/h – matching both the Mercedes-AMG G 63 on both fronts.
To help tie the Defender down, standard air suspension is expected alongside the choice of drive modes to pre-arm it for flat-out driving on the autobahn or tackling mud, snow and rocky terrain off-road.
When it reaches production, expect the Defender V8 to wear either SVR or SVX badges, and for the hot Defender V8 to bring a lower standard ride height, larger wheels and a sporty body kit.
Pricing for the Land Rover Defender V8, which is expected to arrive in late 2021, is likely to exceed £100,000 ($A186,000).
It's thought that following the launch of the long-wheelbase five-door Defender V8, Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations will develop a short-wheelbase two-door version for those who want the ultimate high-performance go-anywhere off-roader.