The Land Rover Defender could be set for a significant engine upgrade, with reports a prototype powered by a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 has been spied testing in the UK.
That's the word from London, where AutoCar is reporting a fire-breathing prototype, complete with booming quad exhaust - has been spotted.
In fact, the publication's sleuths went as far as checking the registration data for the car they spotted, and discovered it was packing a 4999cc engine, believed to be the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 used in Range Rover's SVR products.
In the Range Rover Velar AVAutobiography, that engine produces a whopping 405kW and 680Nm, which is plenty, and would mark a serious increase on the current most powerful engine - the 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine - which pumps out 294kW/550Nm.
That said, production of that 5.0-litre V8 is coming to an end, and so it's more likely Land Rover are using it as a base test, with the more likely engine to be the big 5.0-litre's replacement, thought to be a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 borrowed from BMW.
Either way, those numbers will see it lob under the 430kW and 850Nm on offer in the Mercedes-AMG G63, but it would be enough to see it land on squarely on super SUV pedestal.
Still, with the project yet to be confirmed, it's conjecture at this point. But it would seem the smart money is on a monstrous Defender being in the making.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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