Bowler Motors, the longtime Defender tuner purchased a few years ago by Land Rover to make it an in-house racing firm, has built their hundredth high performance road-legal Defender 90, a specially designed 100th Edition.
Bowler Motors, the longtime Defender tuner purchased a few years ago by Land Rover to make it an in-house racing firm, has built their hundredth high performance road-legal Defender 90, a specially designed 100th Edition.
The special Defender is built to Bowler's special Fast Road spec. It's got the Fast Road suspension, which are custom Bilstein springs combined with custom-built British-made Bowler coil springs. The Stage 2 engine upgrade tunes the Defender's Puma diesel engine with a modified ECU and a race-designed intercooler and exhaust. Bowler's white lightweight alloy wheels on BFGoodrich All Terrain tires. The Bowler Big Brake Kit helps keep all this extra power and tuning from crashing into things. The spare tire has been relocated, to help with weight distribution at higher speeds.
Cosmetically, the truck is built in Corris Grey, from Land Rover's recent palette. Union Flag-inspired subtle graphic decals grace both sides. Bespoke badges made by artisan badge makers at Fattorini (the official description of the vehicle in fact uses both the words "artisan" and "bespoke") identify it. Everything from the headlight surrounds to the lettering is a bit tweaked. Leather Recaro seats from the 60th-anniversary Defender SVX edition from 2008 sit under Alcantara roof lining and in front of a leather-covered dash with a MOMO racing wheel. Skeletal racing shifters complete the interior, making it clear that this Defender is something a bit extra every time you change gears.
The most remarkable thing about the Defender is its price -- £78,000 ($94,000), which in the current market is not incredibly high for a manufacturer-sanctioned, tuned vehicle. Though all of the Bowler Fast Road Defenders are too new to legally import to the USA, it's a low price compared to what many non-factory tuners charge for Defenders. It'll just be a dream for us to own them here, but as many of Bowler's parts are available from Land Rover as special-order accessories ordered direct from the company, with a bit of investment you can bring some of the Bowler experience home to your Defender.
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