Land Rover, Bowler sign official partnership agreement

UK-based Bowler has been manufacturing all-terrain performance vehicles and rally raid competitors with Land Rover powertrain components for 25 years, producing four generations of rally cars over that time.

Under the agreement, Bowler will benefit from greater access to Land Rover components – particularly powertrain and chassis engineering technology – for its EXR rally car, as well as technical and development support.

The partnership will also give birth to the Bowler EXR S, the world’s first “all-terrain supercar”, which has been designed in response to customer demand for a road-going Bowler rally car.

In return, Land Rover says its engineers will enjoy the opportunity to stretch themselves technically and creatively on the extreme performance-oriented program, bringing further knowledge to the core Land Rover range.

All new Bowler competition vehicles will feature ‘Powered by Land Rover’ badging to acknowledge the role of Land Rover’s technology in the vehicles’ performance and success.

Bowler managing director Drew Bowler said the partnership gave his company the opportunity to reach its full potential.

“It is Land Rover’s support as well as its technology that has helped Bowler to gain an incredibly strong reputation for extreme off-road performance over the last two decades,” Bowler said.

“And as we embark on a new era for the business – introducing our first model engineered for use outside competition racing – I’m very pleased that the relationship has been formalised.”

The announcement comes one week out from the global premiere of the Bowler EXR S at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Powered by a modified version of the Range Rover Sport’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8, the Bowler EXR S produces 377kW of power and 705Nm of torque, blasting it from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Bowler’s road-going super SUV promises to be super exclusive too, with its £155,000 price tag on par with the asking price for a Lamborghini Gallardo, which costs in excess of $400,000 in Australia.