- Genesis has made a one-of-a-kind off-road GV80 to honor the famous driver Jacky Ickx, who won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1983.
- The collaboration between Ickx and Genesis stems from a commercial partnership, naturally, yet it remains undeniably cool.
- The automaker refers to this as a concept, which means you shouldn’t anticipate the GV80 Desert Edition becoming available for purchase.
This wasn’t on our 2024 bingo card: Genesis has announced a special off-road setup that was made for the famous race car driver Jacky Ickx. We want to know more about the Genesis GV80 Desert Edition.
Ickx is best known for his work in Formula One, but he has also raced in rally events and won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1983. Genesis made the GV80 with a race angle in mind. For the extra ride height, the only thing that stands out is the sharp, streamlined front bumper with a silver skid plate. Large all-terrain tires wrapped around custom wheels that were painted dark and added width, which was made even better by fender flares. The rally-spec look is finished off with yellow fog lights and red tow hooks sticking out from the front bumper.
There are also pod lights on the hood and a bar across the rooftop carrier system that help light up the dark trail ahead. Genesis also put some gear on the roof of the GV80 that, based on its name, would be useful on a desert race stage. While we don’t know the exact engine, it’s likely the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6, which is the GV80’s most powerful engine choice. Ickx signed and drew on the engine bay cover of his new horse to make it even more unique.
Why is Genesis making Ickx a GV80? You’re interested. Since he is a Genesis brand partner, the company will send him the most stylish GV80 they can find. Gensler only says this is an idea, so I don’t think that other Desert Edition models will be made available to everyone. But tomorrow is a new day and year, and who knows what 2025 will bring?
