
If Batman drove a Defender, it might look like this…
Land Rover refers to the new model as an 'all-black interpretation of the unstoppable Defender flagship'. Taking those words quite literally, the Defender Octa Black gets Narvik Black paint which, as on other models in the 4x4 range, can be wrapped in a Matte Protective Film for an additional charge.
Elsewhere, there's a choice of 20 or 22-inch wheels, both in black, while the black badges and brake calipers feature silver script. You'll find satin black powder-coated scuff plates and gloss-black quad exhaust tips, and you can even choose to paint your car's towing eye or towbar in, you guessed it, black.
Inside, the 'Performance Seats' are finished in Ebony Semi-Aniline Leather with 'unique perforation patterns' and 'new stitching detail' on the backrests. Bizarrely, the seat backs and armrest hinges are finished in Carpathian Grey, rather than black.
On the dashboard, the car's cross beam gets a satin-black powder coat, while owners can specify chopped carbon-fibre trim elements, in what Land Rover calls the 'epitome of tough luxury'. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
Mark Cameron, managing director for the Defender brand said: 'We know our clients love giving their Defenders all-black finishes, so our designers have applied this principle to every possible surface – inside and out – to create the ultimate tough luxury Defender Octa.'
This can be considered a purely cosmetic upgrade; the Octa Black is unchanged under the metal from the standard range-topper – meaning a 626bhp twin-turbo, mild-hybrid V8 and a dedicated Octa drive mode. Prices from the Octa Black start from £158,045 – £10k more than the existing Octa.
All cars feature a 13.1-inch infotainment system and 15-speaker, 700-watt Meridian stereo with Body and Soul Seats (BASS) – linking neatly with Defender's support of the 41-date Oasis global tour, which kicks off today (4 July).
In other news, the Defender Octa is now offered in two new colours: Sargasso Blue and Borasco Grey. A Patagonia White Matte Wrap will be available towards the end of the year.
Configure your perfect Land Rover Defender 110 through our Find A Car service now. Alternatively, check out the best deals out there on a new Land Rover Defender 110 from stock or top prices on used Land Rover Defender 110 models...
Find a car with the experts Range Rover Sport SV gets massive £35k price drop as it enters series-production
Range Rover Sport SV gets massive £35k price drop as it enters series-production
There's also a new SV Black trim, and a Range Rover Sport Stealth Package for non SVs Arrivederci Roma: new Ferrari Amalfi slots in as brand's latest entry-level model
Arrivederci Roma: new Ferrari Amalfi slots in as brand's latest entry-level model
A slick new look and more power are the headlines for Ferrari's new baby, but it's probably some simple new buttons that will get customers' attention Geely is coming to the UK, and its assault will start with EX5 SUV
Geely is coming to the UK, and its assault will start with EX5 SUV
Geely has looked to Lotus to ensure it's new electric SUV lives up to our driving expectations

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
16 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hertfordshire Police incident causes M1 and M25 delays
A police incident on the M1 in Hertfordshire that led to the M25 also being closed has caused widespread disruption for morning Police said it shut the M1 northbound, between junctions 6 and 6A, at about 05:15 BST, with a subsequent closure also being put in place on the M25 around junction was temporarily diverted on to the A405 North Orbital Road and other surrounding said on X at 06:45 that the roads had been reopened but delays remained in the area. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
James Vowles interview: I have no idea why Christian Horner calls me ‘The Reverend'
James Vowles can still remember the first time he went to Silverstone as if it was yesterday. He and his friend Luciano, with whom he grew up in Geneva, went on what he calls 'something of a pilgrimage' to the Northamptonshire circuit. By chance Williams were testing that day. 'I remember it perfectly,' Vowles says. 'I remember the sound, I remember the feeling, I remember the vibrations in my chest. We stood there for half an hour, on the fence, just in awe. This would have been 1996 or 1997, when I was 17 or 18. It was basically that famous Rothmans Williams car. That's what we were looking at and it was fantastic. I've still got the photos somewhere.' It is funny how life turns out. What would Vowles have said if someone had come up to him that day and told him that nearly 30 years later he would return to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix as team principal of Williams, charged with returning the once-great team to former glories? Vowles practically spits out the Wiener schnitzel he is eating. 'I simply wouldn't have believed you,' he says. 'I couldn't even come to terms with the fact that I was seeing a Formula One car, let alone come to terms with the fact that I might one day work in the sport. As for running Williams…' Vowles laughs at the absurdity of it. We are talking in a restaurant not far from the Red Bull Ring in Austria – a popular hangout for Formula One teams and drivers, to judge from the identity of our neighbouring diners, plus the mass of fans camped outside. This is Vowles' world now, although he admits he 'still pinches himself daily' at the way his life has panned out. The 46-year-old had a rather unusual entry to the sport. Growing up in Switzerland, he attended the International School of Geneva, and speaks fluent French, as he demonstrates when first Laurent Mekies, the Racing Bulls team principal, and then Jerome d'Ambrosio, the Ferrari deputy team principal, come up to say hello during dinner. 'Every team sent me a rejection letter' The sliding doors moment came when Vowles returned to Britain to read maths and computer science at the University of East Anglia. 'I woke up one day and realised I was not happy – I wanted to change my direction of travel,' he recalls. He applied to all 11 Formula One teams at the time, and got 11 rejection letters, all of which he pinned up on his wall. 'Crucially, two of those rejection letters – from BAR and Williams – came with explanations. 'They basically said that I had an interesting background but I needed engineering as well to be employable,' he recalls. He promptly applied to Cranfield, did a master's degree in motorsport engineering and management, and contributed to a project that won the Prodrive Award of Excellence, for designing a racing car for the Jim Russell Racing School. The rest is history. From BAR, to Brawn GP, to Mercedes, where Vowles was a key figure in a team that won eight consecutive constructors' titles and seven drivers' titles, and now finally Williams. 'It's been an incredible ride and I consider myself so fortunate,' he says. 'Even five years ago, I don't think I believed I would be a team principal. At Mercedes, you aspire. But you don't want to go beyond aspiring because there are so many other people more worthy than you to run an organisation. So, no, I never did. I trusted Toto [Wolff]. Toto was the one who really directed me and said 'you will be a team principal'. Listening to Vowles, you cannot help but be struck by his intense earnestness. He can actually be very funny. But you suspect that it is this earnestness, this reputation for being a bit strait-laced and boffiny, that has turned him into an unlikely fans' favourite. He is very memeable. His famous radio message when he was at Mercedes: 'Valtteri, it's James', which always spelt doom for the Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who knew he was about to be used as a sacrificial lamb for Lewis Hamilton, has literally become an internet meme. Comedian Jack Whitehall, meanwhile, had great fun at this year's F175 season launch at the O2, describing Vowles as 'Jimmy V' and 'the rizzmaster', and saying he couldn't wait to do espresso martinis with him at the after-party. Vowles takes it all in good humour. 'Jack is hilarious… he warned me beforehand and I found it very funny.' When Whitehall visited the Miami Grand Prix in May they ended up having espresso martinis together in the Williams motorhome. 'His was laced with alcohol, mine was not.' Vowles does not even object to Christian Horner describing him as 'The Reverend Vowles' on the last season of Drive to Survive. 'You can just imagine him saying: 'Dearly beloved…'' the Red Bull team principal told the documentary makers, laughing. What was that about? 'I have no idea,' Vowles smiles, before going on to admit he suspects it might have to do with his verbosity and mannerisms. 'I think there's two things,' he says. 'Do I think, at times, I over-explain answers? Yes. I think it might fall into that category. That's a negative trait and something I probably need to work on. And the second part of it is, yeah, I do try to act with virtue. I will do things with honesty and transparency. But I didn't take it as an insult.' It is an endearingly earnest response, which both makes Horner's point and shows Vowles in a positive light. Whatever the reason, as we head to Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix, where McLaren will do battle with Red Bull and Mercedes and Ferrari, you can feel goodwill of the fans towards both Vowles and Williams. They want this to work. They want the return of a British icon to the top. What a story it would be. Vowles's conviction that it will happen is unshakeable. He may not consider himself a celebrity. He laughs about his appearance on the red carpet in New York for the movie F1. 'It wasn't for me,' he says. 'All these stars were about and I was literally standing in the middle saying: 'Anyone that needs anything signed, I'll come to you!'' But he is a workaholic. Vowles describes himself as a 'competitive psychopath' and you can feel that when he talks about his plans for taking Williams to the front of the grid, the hours he is prepared to put in, even his relationship with his wife Rachel, a surgeon. He recalls their first date together in 2019. 'I was like, 'I've got to warn you, my work is my life, and I work really long hours.' And she was like, 'No, I work really long hours.' And I was like 'No, no, no. I work really long hours.' We actually went through it. And to be fair, Formula One still trumps it, but only just. 'My wife is unbelievable. She's one of the best surgeons in the UK. A double-first from Oxford who then worked in A&E in Whitechapel, then trained in plastics and breast cancer. So quite a unique individual in that she can diagnose breast cancer and then do the mastectomy and a rebuild afterwards. 'She's now doing a PhD on the use of mesh in the rebuild process post-mastectomy. Honestly, it's life-changing stuff. I just work in F1. She's the clever one.' The couple, who live in Oxford, have a daughter Elodie, who arrived 19 months ago. They are expecting their second child literally this week, which could mean an emergency dash from Silverstone. 'As you can imagine with me, I have contingencies,' he says. 'I've got plans upon plans upon plans… so we are sorted, including helicopters on standby and all sorts!' Nothing, though, will stop him returning Williams to the top. Although the Grove team are still behind F1's biggest beasts in terms of infrastructure, change is coming. Williams have the backing of American private investment firm Dorilton Capital, and Vowles sees no reason why they cannot be winning races by 2028. Already the changes he has implemented have seen Williams make a leap in competitiveness that means they are now fifth in the championship, 'best of the rest' after the big four. But that is not enough. 'Fighting for points near enough every race is great,' Vowles says. 'But I call that low-hanging fruit. The really lovely stuff is the stuff coming online in 2026, 2027, 2028… infrastructure and facilities.' Vowles smiles. He rejects suggestions he might be 'too nice' to thrive in the Piranha Club. 'F1 has changed. It's not the same as it was even 12 years ago. I don't feel I have to go behind people's backs, to the FIA or to FOM [Formula One Management], to derail their operation. I should be beating them because I am doing a better job than them.' He similarly rejects talk that Williams are no longer 'Williams' with Sir Frank now gone and no one from his family involved. 'The DNA is absolutely still Williams. And while I'm here, we will not lose the family feel. That is really important to me. I don't want bureaucracy, I don't want corporate to go and kill what we have for money.' And how long will he be here? What if his mentor Wolff wants him back at Mercedes? Or Ferrari or McLaren come calling? He considers the question. 'I really feel this is where I'll end my career,' he replies. 'It was the proudest moment of my life walking through the door at Williams. I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a team with legacy beyond pretty much every team, to bring it back to the front. I'm happy looking everyone in the eyes and saying: 'This is where I want to be. This team can be world champions.' And I'll be here when we do that.'


The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton returns to Silverstone in last chance saloon for first Ferrari year
If you'd told Lewis Hamilton four months ago, amid the hoopla of Formula One's biggest-ever driver move, that he would be 'hoping and praying' for a strong result at his beloved Silverstone, he'd likely have laughed you out of the room. Either that or he'd have rolled his eyes. Take your pick. After all, this was the seven-time F1 world champion moving to the fabled Ferrari. A driver in need of rejuvenation after three years of frustration at Mercedes was joining a team seemingly on the up, having come within a whisker of last year's constructors' title. Everything seemed perfectly aligned. With the whole world watching, what could possibly go wrong? Well, come race 12 and the halfway stage of the 2025 season, the answer is unavoidable: pretty much everything. It has been an eye-opening, gut-wrenching opening salvo for the 40-year-old in red. From amateurish radio communications and irritation in the rain of Australia in round one to an overwhelming lack of car performance throughout, Hamilton has endured his worst-ever start to an F1 season. Even for the biggest of pessimists, this was not in the forecast. Eleven races, zero podiums. Sixth in the world championship, closer to the bottom of the standings than the top. Never mind winning, Hamilton is now on the longest podium-less streak of his career, at 13, stretching back to Las Vegas last November. As ever, it makes this weekend's British Grand Prix a significant marker in his season. A venue he has won at nine times, and been on the podium for 11 consecutive years, represents Hamilton's best chance to smell the Moet & Chandon champagne once more. Of course, his fond memories here come as recently as last year, when he broke a 31-month winless streak with a memorable and brilliant victory. If it's going to happen anywhere for Hamilton in 2025, it's going to be this weekend. 'There is always magic here at Silverstone,' he said, with an optimistic outlook, at media day on Thursday. 'It is a very, very special race and I am hoping all sorts of things can help us. I am hoping and praying. 'I cannot wait for Friday. Driving a Ferrari at Silverstone for the first time will be special and unique in its own way. We have the best fans here, and for a British driver, they really do make a difference. 'I have shown that to you time and time again. I hope this weekend they really make the difference for us.' LEWIS HAMILTON'S FIRST 11 RACES Hamilton is accurate to some extent: his best displays do come in front of the British fans, of which we can anticipate a modicum more to come decked in scarlet over the next three days. In fact, amid a full schedule which for the first time includes British F4 alongside F3, F2 and F1, Silverstone organisers are hoping to have a record 500,000 people attend. Lando Norris even has his own 10,000-capacity 'Landostand' at Stowe corner, beating Hamilton and George Russell in the British popularity rankings. Yet relying on the fans in the grandstands is not the customary route to results in Formula 1; a sport where the drivers genuinely struggle to hear the noise generated by the supporters, given the scorching sound of the V6 hybrid engine. The biggest nadir so far, unquestionably, was a contrasting second round in China. All looked rosy when Hamilton took pole for the shortened sprint race and, without a serious challenge, cruised to victory. Yet 24 hours later, both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc 's cars had been disqualified. For team principal Fred Vasseur, it was an embarrassing state of affairs. LEWIS HAMILTON'S RUN OF PODIUMS AT SILVERSTONE In the weeks since, we've had issues uncovered and not eradicated. We've had anger on the radio towards race engineer Riccardo Adami. We've even had boredom: Hamilton has regularly been running on his own in races, too quick for the midfield pack but too slow to compete at the top. 'Where is Lewis?' says the hypothetical fan switching on Sky Sports F1 mid-race. 'No man's land,' is often the riposte. But this weekend, there is hope. Ferrari unveiled a much-needed upgrade to the floor of their car at the last race in Austria and were the second-quickest team. A further development of the rear suspension is expected this weekend. It feels like something of a last-chance saloon for the Scuderia, as teams up and down the grid begin to turn their full attention to new regulations next year. Yet more so than car modifications, as so often is the case in Northamptonshire, rain is in the air on Sunday. 'We are not as quick as McLaren,' Hamilton said. 'If it stays dry, they will walk the race.' But if it rains, nobody masters a wet-dry conflux like Hamilton around these parts. A win may still be out of the question – though championship frontrunners Norris and Oscar Piastri have already shown that mistakes and collisions are possible – but a podium feels obtainable. Yet for Hamilton, historical statistics are not what he's here for; he simply wants to see progress. A lot of progress. 'I don't look at those (podium) statistics, so it is not something that affects me or I think about,' Hamilton said. 'But we are here at Silverstone. What better place to change that run.'