The 'purposeful' new Defender Dakar livery

The right livery can elevate an already well-designed car and bring new fans on board. Broadly speaking, we are beyond the 'golden age' of tobacco, alcohol and oil liveries in contemporary motorsport (think Marlboro, Martini and Gulf) but there is still room to accent key features or communicate a brand message. To be less abstract: the car and team become memorable.

In January, a modified version of the Defender will once again take to the desert for the 2026 World Rally‑Raid Championship (W2RC), one of the most gruelling cross-country competitions that sees everything from bikes to trucks racing across the rough stuff. The Dakar D7X‑R is the Defender team’s official entry and a new livery was recently revealed for the Dakar rally stage, one of various stops on the tour alongside Portugal, Argentina, Morocco and Abu Dhabi. 

There is plenty of opportunity for heritage mining, but the Defender's Dakar livery does not feel nostalgic per se. Yes, the 'Desert Geopalette' theme nods to retro Series and Range Rover paint options, but brand design manager Charlie Owen tells Car Design News that it was more about "ensuring the livery feels forward-facing rather than nostalgic." Inspiration came from various avenues, he explains. 

"We did reference historic competition liveries for their clarity and functional simplicity, where graphics served both identity and legibility in harsh conditions. But overarching influences also came from modern motorsport aesthetics, desert rally iconography, and architectural geometry," Owen says. "We leaned into Defender’s core attributes and translated this into bold geometric forms for a restrained colour story." 

Indeed, the main bodywork features a blocky mix of beige, ochre and brown which Owen says was chosen to "harmonise with Dakar’s terrain: sand, stone and earth tones evoke raw landscapes, while Aqua introduces a rare, high-contrast accent inspired by desert oases." That flash of bright teal is unexpected — loosely reminiscent of a Tuscan Blue classic 'rangie — and is employed not only for the entire roof but also on the race uniform's shoulder pads. The glasshouse and pillars are black, almost creating the illusion of a floating roof. 

The teal top also functional, making it easier for photographers to spot the car during the rally and to make it stand out among the harsh terrain. Owen notes that it's about "ensuring visual impact from every angle." 

Sponsor branding from Castrol, Bilstein and BFGoodrich chime well with the overall design, offering splashes of red, yellow and blue, while Shackleton's restrained black and white branding sits nicely on the gloss black sill protector. A red band at the top of the windscreen, no doubt a sun visor of sorts, sports the motto: "Dream. Dare. Live It." A little close to "Live, Laugh, Love", but the car can get away with that given it will be powering through the desert. A crushed velvet interior would have been a step too far though. 

The bodywork itself has been extended and the arches now balloon massively to accommodate those 35-inch tyres, added lift and widened track. A chunky front skid plate sports red tow hooks at either end, and if you look closely enough, even the wheel nuts have been tweaked to a fetching copper colour. 

The interior is now much close to that of a fighter jet, with a litany of physical buttons and five screens supporting an instrument cluster, directions, GPS and core driving functions. It is interesting that, when it comes down to it, core controls come down to chunky push switches and dials as opposed to touchscreens. We digress. 

Bucket seats, carbon fibre supports and a roll cage round out what is a minimal, driver-focussed interior that could not be anything other than a competitive race car. Or perhaps an underground mining truck. 

As mentioned at the start of this article, the right livery can be a strong marketing tool. The Defender is on sale in various guises, including the fire-breathing Octa on which this is based -- and in many ways the car's presence in this off-road competition is testament to its core performance. Owen explains that the livery and wider visual updates were formed in a way that helps communicate that story. 

"The aim was to create a contemporary visual language that really speaks to Defender and its participation in the Rally today, with a livery that embodies Defender’s authentic character while respecting the extreme environments of the Dakar Rally," he concludes. "Styling was integral to expressing capability and confidence. The design needed to feel purposeful and rugged, but with a luxury edge, aligning with Defender’s DNA rather than appearing contrived or overly ornamental."