Once again, veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is in the dash to catch everyone’s attention, this time behind the wheel of a superpower luxury SUV. The 83-year-old actor was spotted behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender Octa, the most powerful and off road type of Defender.
Amitabh Bachchan is known to keep a good coupe of posh cars in his garage but he isn’t exactly known for driving his prized possession through the streets. The fact that the SUV in the sighting had an optional top ‘Spec’ – the Octa version – said much of its own. It is claimed to be one of his son Abhishek Bachchan.
The landmark presence with its top-notch interior, and performance capabilities have made the Land Rover Defender a favourite among celebrities. Various Bollywood celebrities like Sunny Deol, Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty and Anil Kapoor are named as being the owner of the SUV.
The Defender Octa, based on the 110 body, will be launched in India at an ex-showroom price of ₹2.59 crore and have a more aggressive look with 22-inch alloy wheels, large grille, and flared wheel arches. The model, inspired by Bachchan, complete in the unique Petra Copper shade.
An eight-cylinder V8, with fuel-efficiency upgrades, from BMW is mated to a 4-Speed DCT and kicks out 635hp / 750 Nm of torque. The Defender Octa, with an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive technology, can go from 0-100 kmph in 3.8 seconds, and 0-60 kmph in 3.7 seconds.