Land Rover Wins the 1979 Dakar Rally – A Forgotten Victory
Did you know?
In 1979, Land Rover achieved off-road racing glory by winning the very first Paris-Dakar Rally.
While most people associate the Dakar Rally with motorcycles and modified trucks, it was a Range Rover Classic that took the top prize in the car category of the grueling inaugural event. Piloted by Frenchman Alain Génestier, the V8-powered Range Rover proved its legendary endurance by conquering 6,200 miles (10,000 km) of deserts, rocks, and dunes between Paris and Dakar, Senegal.
This early success helped cement Land Rover’s reputation for durability and rugged capability in extreme environments — a legacy that lives on in today’s vehicles.
20th May 2025
Recent Posts
-
25 Years of the Discovery 2 – A Modern Classic
Launched in autumn 1998, the Discovery 2 was a major evolution of the original Discovery and a turni …17th Jun 2025 -
Land Rover Wins the 1979 Dakar Rally – A Forgotten Victory
Did you know? In 1979, Land Rover achieved off-road racing glory by winning the very first Paris-Dak …20th May 2025 -
The Birth of the Land Rover Discovery – 35 Years Ago This Month
Did you know? In May 1989, Land Rover unveiled a completely new model that would become one of its m …14th May 2025