In the last quarter of last year, we saw the reveal of the all-new 2022 Range Rover. Its Sport sibling is currently undergoing development and will be revealed to us shortly allegedly with BMW V8 power, if recent reports are to be believed. But while we have always known that a high-horsepower Range Rover is popular with the masses, a high-horsepower Land Rover Defender has always seemed a little less likely. After all, the Defender is a proper off-roader and isn't accustomed to being drag raced. Or is it? Land Rover seems to think it needs a bit more performance, if our latest spy shots are anything to go by.

As you can see from the camouflage, this is a development mule for an upcoming model. Despite this camo, some things can't be hidden, so we can see big fender flares and a quad-exit exhaust, which is a typical way of conveying increased performance for any marque. We can also see that the Defender is capable of cocking a wheel under hard cornering, which suggests a stiff suspension setup. Our spy photographers have also reported that, although the wheels do a good job of hiding the brakes, these seem to be larger than standard too. Basically, it seems that Jaguar Land Rover is building an SVR version of the Defender.

Our sources suggest that, like the Range Rover Sport, this high-performance model will be powered by BMW M's brilliant S63 twin-turbo V8, which means we can expect around 600 horsepower unless it gets massively detuned. We're also told to expect bigger intakes and some lightweight components as part of the new model's design, and we hope to have clearer images of such things soon. As for body style, the Defender SVR is likely to be offered in both 90 and 110 versions. Whatever the truth, we'll have to wait until next year when this arrives as a 2024 model before we can fully unpack what this new variant is all about.