OH NO. YOU'VE REALLY GONE AND DONE Oit it now, Towler. I'm not sure if I said that out loud or if the words are just echoing in my head, but whatever, there's no way the nose of this new Defender is going to survive what I'm bracing for. I've locked up and a three-foot-deep gulley is approaching... downhill, at about 40mph.
There'll be a loud crunch, I'll pull over, tentatively creep around to the front of the car, pull a pained expression at the jagged metal and plastic, then have the inglorious limp back to Bowler's field set-up, or 'bivouac' as they call it, where I'll have to slope off and hide behind the portable toilet in disgrace.
Instead, the Defender drops down into the hole, springs unfathomably up the other side with the front wheels clear of the ground, then does it again over two more such obstacles that really exercise my HANS straps, before dispatching jagged rocks twice the size of my head with barely a thump. In that very moment not only is my admiration for the Bowler Defender sealed, but I also realise I've got a lot to learn about this hill rallying thing....
The words 'rallying' and 'Defender' might not be the most natural of pairings, but add in 'Bowler' and it starts to make a lot more sense. You might recall the Bowler Defender Challenge Rally Series for original Defenders that ran between 2014 and 2016, and you are probably aware of some of the company's wilder Land Rover-based creations that have stormed wooded hillsides and jumped dunes on the Dakar. You may also know that this Derbyshire firm-established in 1985 by Drew Bowler, who passed away in 2016 - was acquired by Jaguar Land Rover in 2019 and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the group.
Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
