In the world of high-speed all-terrain vehicles there is mental, really mental and then there is Bowler.
The company which is based in the sleepy hills of Derbyshire has developed a reputation over the past 25 years for developing cars that can go up and down mountains and sand dunes at speeds that make Formula 1 look a bit limp-wristed. For those in the know the Bowler Wildcat and Tomcat are enshrined in the history of manic off-road vehicles.
Bowler has essentially used a template that incorporates a Land Rover donor vehicle and a bespoke list of modifications that turns the more-than-capable Land Rover into a fire-breathing dragon. The Bowler is the car that you would want in a nuclear holocaust.
So what does the Land Rover/Bowler partnership really mean? Well it is more of branding exercise and won’t change the status quo of either company except that they officially recognise that each other exists. The upshot is that ‘Powered by Land Rover’ will be an extra sticker (decal) on every Bowler from now on. Which is marketing collateral for all concerned.
Far more interesting is the fact that Bowler has two models on offer – the EXR and EXR S. which both use a modified version of the Range Rover Sport chassis. Both cars also use modified versions of the 5.0-litre V8 engine used in Range Rover models. The EXR uses an FIA-restricted naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 engine, while the EXR S uses a 550bhp version of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 which Bowler claims will provide supercar performance – that is most likely an understatement.
Click here for the full spec of the road-going EXR S
This is a company that does not have to fill its modest website with blah-blah marketing blurb about being the best at what it does. It just turns up and blows everything else into the weeds.
Congratulations to Bowler for getting the recognition it deserves – check them out at http://www.bowlermotorsport.com/
The Car Spy 