Polaris Off-Road Vehicles unveiled Tuesday the the Polaris RZR Pro R Race Replica Limited Edition, a UTV modelled after the RZR Pro R Factory that currently leads the SCORE International Pro UTV Open class standings and won the latest Dakar Rally in January.
As the name suggests, it is a replica of the second-generation RZR Pro R Factory used by Polaris Factory Racing. Like its predecessor for much of 2023, it has been the fastest UTV outright at all three SCORE rounds so far in 2024 with Cayden MacCachren and Brock Heger; the latter won the 2023 Pro UTV Open championship while the former is atop the class points with the Baja 1000 to go.
A rally variant built by PFR for Sébastien Loeb Racing won the 2024 Dakar Rally in the SSV category with Xavier de Soultrait, marking the first time a manufacturer besides Can-Am topped the class since 2018. PFR technical director Alex Scheuerell revealed to The Checkered Flag that the rally model was the first second-generation UTV to come “out of our workshop.” Heger and PFR team-mate Max Eddy Jr. will also race the 2025 Dakar in one.
Being designed after the race car, the Race Replica is more durable than the traditional RZR with reinforced bumpers. It also comes with a rear light bar from Rigid Industries identical to that used on the Pro R Factory, and a forward-facing 32-inch front light bar on the roof that projects 20 thousand lumens up to 3,077 feet 937 m). Method Race Wheels‘ 407 Bead Grip wheels, which are also used by PFR, are attached to 32-inch KM3 tyres from BFGoodrich.
Rockford Fosgate also provides a Stage 6 audio kit that comes with a 400-watt subwoofer. By comparison, the usual RZR has a Stage 4 system.
Other elements come from the 2025 RZR Pro R Ultimate, which was revealed in August, like the revived fang-based light design.
“The RZR Pro R Race Replica is a truly special vehicle that embodies Polaris’ deep-rooted passion for racing and the flat-out dominance of our Polaris Factory Racing team,” commented Polaris vice president and general manager Reid Wilson. “Not only is racing integral to our history and our DNA, it continues to be the ultimate proving ground for all RZR vehicles and their amazing capabilities, which allows us to deliver our customers with the best sport side-by-sides on the market. This limited-edition model celebrates that success, while also acknowledging the incredible support of our sponsors who drive our racing programme forward.”
The Race Replica Limited Edition also boasts a purple livery based on MacCachren’s UTV. While not exactly the most popular colour for a race car, to the point where TCF even asked MacCachren about it in April, he is a fan. The colour was assigned to MacCachren by team principal Travis Clarke shortly after PFR’s formation; Heger races with yellow while Eddy has a blue car.
“[Clarke] looked at me and said, ‘You’re purple,’ and everybody started laughing and I didn’t know why,” MacCachren recalled. “I think purple’s pretty cool and it goes along with some colours and I think it’s very in right now. I have absolutely no problem with purple and I think it gets a lot of attention and I love that and can bring more attention to the team and the race car. I think it looks really good on the race car and also on the driving suits and some of the team shirts, so I think it’s a little bit different of a color that hasn’t been seen in off-road racing or any racing to be honest.
“I’m fully behind the purple and call me what you will, but the purple wins, it looks like, so I like it and I’m going to keep it for as long as I can.”
250 models will be produced and sold in both two- and four-seater editions. The former will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of USD$45,999 (€42,529.45) while the latter goes for $49,999 (€46,227.74).