The trend for very serious off road cars looks to be going nowhere. The launch of the Defender OCTA is imminent, Audi has already made the Q8 e-tron edition Dakar, and there’s not a motorway services in the land that doesn’t have a Ranger Raptor in it. Whether the extra ability of these rufty-tufty trucks is being utilised doesn’t really matter; it’s surely the look and the image that’s selling them to people.
Now Genesis is embracing the trend, albeit with a one-off concept for now, with the GV80 Desert Edition. It has been revealed ahead of this year’s Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia, and has been built to ‘honour our brand partner and racing legend Jacky Ickx’. Among the Belgian’s array of notable motorsport successes was, of course, a win on the Dakar in 1983, so it makes sense to reveal the GV80 ahead of this year’s running. A useful reminder of his association with Genesis, if nothing else. Back in the day, Ickx couldn’t keep away from the Dakar, competing during every single year of the 1980s with five different manufacturers. His last competitive run was in 2000.
As for the car itself, there’ll be no mistaking the Desert Edition for any other GV80. It’s a familiar overhaul for a rally raid-style special edition, including the front skid plate, some very serious tow hooks, a ride height jacked up to accommodate off-road tyres and beadlock wheels, plus a roof rack of essential supplies with a light bar. And don’t forget the yellow fog lamps - where don’t they look cool? We’d assume it’s powered by one of the more powerful turbo V6s offered for the GV80 in some markets, as neither a four cylinder turbo petrol or 3.0-litre diesel really seem fitting for this kind of car. If not quite the full motorsport overhaul, the Desert Edition definitely lends the GV80 a welcome hit of attitude. It’s intriguing in a way the standard car almost seems determined not to be.
While there are no plans to productionise the Desert Edition, the GV80 is another demonstration that Genesis does seem to care about interesting cars and cool projects. Alongside the recent confirmation of a WEC entry, we should see the first of its Magma branded performance cars later in 2025. So perhaps a rally ready GV80 isn’t entirely out of the question at some point.
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