Can-Am Defender Prerunner Is A Six-Wheeled Beast For The Desert

Can-Am just let its designers have a little fun, and the result is two off-road concepts that look ready for a completely different kind of adventure. One carries six wheels and enough equipment to support a desert race team, while the other glows like a giant mechanical insect built for the dunes.

The Defender Prerunner takes the idea of a remote race support vehicle and pushes it to the extreme.

Six beadlock wheels wear huge 35-inch off-road tires, while the crew-cab body gets a LinQ bed with space for a spare wheel. Can-Am adds front and rear winches, auxiliary lights, tool platforms, fuel jugs, shovels, and a front skid plate, giving the little truck everything a race crew might need far from civilization.

Inside, Can-Am keeps things focused on the job. Sparco seats with four-point harnesses sit alongside a flat-bottom steering wheel, digital instrument cluster, and infotainment system. The concept looks ready to spend long hours bouncing across rough terrain while carrying equipment for another vehicle.

The Maverick R XRay takes a completely different route. Designed for sand dunes, it uses translucent illuminated panels around its exoskeleton, creating a wild glowing effect after dark. The lighting also serves a purpose, turning red under braking and offering programmable patterns for a visual show in the dunes.

The two-wheel-drive concept adds a lightweight build, an active roof spoiler, paddle tires, and Sparco seats. Two very different concepts, but both show what happens when Can-Am gives its designers room to get creative.