Genesis built a special off-road version of its GV80 luxury SUV for racing legend—and current brand partner—Jacky Ickx.
Spotted in a post on the Instagram page of Genesis’ European arm, the GV80 Desert Edition has typical off-road modifications like a raised ride height, knobby tires, a roof rack with LED light bar, and prominent recovery hooks. The modified SUV also wears a Dubai license plate with a “Performance by W Motors” frame, indicating its transformation was accomplished with help from that Middle Eastern supercar builder.
The Desert Edition was presented to Ickx on the eve of the 2025 Dakar Rally. Ickx won this event’s predecessor, then known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, in 1983, when the rally actually finished in Dakar, Senegal. The instability of that part of Africa led organizers to move the rally first to South America and then to its current home in Saudi Arabia.
Ickx is is perhaps better known for his exploits on pavement, though. The Belgian and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, scored eight Formula 1 victories, and won a Can-Am championship, among other accomplishments. He even tested for NASCAR legend Junior Johnson in 1969, but opted not to pursue oval racing after crashing the car.
Genesis brought in Ickx as a brand partner in February 2024. The luxury brand claims he’ll be providing input on its new Magma performance sub-brand, which aims to take on the likes of BMW M and Mercedes-AMG.
Adding further caché to Magma is a racing program that includes entries in the premiere Hypercar and GTP classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship. The automaker will be racing a newly developed race car dubbed the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar. Ickx is also serving as an advisor to this program, which aims to have cars on track in 2026.
