Land Rover Defender Challenge by Bowler – the Defender goes rallying

The Land Rover Defender goes rallying (pictured) with Bowler modifications

The venerable Land Rover Defender – now reaching the end of its shelf life – may not seem the perfect rally car. But a Defender tweaked and fettled with some Bowler Fairy Dust is another matter, and that’s exactly what’s happening with a new, one-make Defender Challenge by Bowler – and backed by Land Rover – which is aiming to put up to fifteen Defenders in to UK forest stage rallies and hill rallies in 2014.

The Defender in question is a Defender 90 Hard Top with the usual 2.2 litre diesel, but sorted by Bowler to deliver 170bhp and 323lb/ft of torque (up from the regular 122bhp/266lb/ft) with a standard six-speed manual ‘box, MSA roll cage, fire extinguisher and Khumo tyres.

Sensibly, the suspension also get fettled with new springs and dampers, roll bars and bushes, a set of 18″ wheels, sill protectors, racing seats and a six-point harness. Despite all the work the rally-prepared Defender remains road-legal.

But if you want to take part you will have to buy your rally Defender from Bowler – at £50,000 +vat – plus an extra £10-14k for the support package to go rallying. And Bowler won’t accept your existing defender as a donor car either.

The Defenders by Bowler will be fully FIA compliant, which means they can be run in overseas rallies and the new series has the backing of the ASO which runs the Dakar Rally.

Xavier Gregory from ASO said:

One of the major obstacles for people from the UK wishing to enter the Dakar has always been obtaining the necessary competition experience and a race licence. With the Defender Challenge by Bowler, there is at last a turnkey solution to that problem.

The provisional calendar for 2014 for the Defender Challenge is:

2nd March

Mid Wales Stages

Newtown, Wales

20th April

Somerset Stages

Minehead, Somerset

7th June

Dukeries Rally

Southwell, Nottinghamshire

19th / 20th July

Welsh Hill Rally

Walters Arena, Swansea

30th August

Woodpecker Stages

Ludlow, Shropshire

24th/ 25th October

Sunseeker Rallye

Poole, Dorset

Mid November

Scottish Hill Rally

Dumfries, Scotland

A fine way to celebrate the impending end of the current Land Rover Defender.

By Cars UK