Bowler EXR-S (2016)

The first Bowler competition cars came about in 1984, using a Land Rover Defender as a basis. Founded in Derby, the small UK company started by creating Cobra and Safari trial cars. Over the next 20 years, the company would evolve its initial concept to create some of the most competent, composed and fiercely competitive off-road vehicles.

Initially shortening a Defender chassis to 88” to form the Tomcat in 1989; after much success at national trial and hill rally events in the UK, the car would evolve to the 100” Wildcat. From here the car would achieve international fame in the Paris-Dakar rally throughout the 2000s. In 2005, Bowler was the second-largest factory team in the Dakar with the highest rate of finishers.

In 2009, Bowler announced the replacement for the Wildcat in the form of the Nemesis. A slowdown in the global economy meant the project was put on hold. Back with a vengeance in 2014, the exterior borrowed lights and the grille from the Range Rover Sport, and more importantly, mechanically it also borrowed the V8 powerplant. The form not dissimilar to a Land Rover but very different underneath. The car saw immediate competitive success.

Such was demand from their client base for a road car that the EXR-S was born, the ‘S’ for Supercharged. Free from the FIA restrictions, the road car benefits from 550 BHP and 625nm of torque supplied by the now 5.0 supercharged V8. This example is the first of three right-hand drive road ‘cars’ that saw production.

Delivered in 2015. EXR-S #001 features a 6-speed paddle-shift automatic with permanent 50/50 four-wheel drive. Equipped with 360mm front discs with 6-pot calipers and 340mm 4-pots at the rear. It benefits from a number of features as standard including Bi-Xenon lights, heated front and rear screen, power steering, central locking and keyless go. The car features a Pioneer head unit with CD & iPod compatibility. Having covered just 1,100 miles from new, this Bowler has received a full detail in-house and as such presents on the button.