It’s January, it’s very cold outside, the roads are muddy and awful – not a good time to be a car fan in the UK. But it’s a huge opportunity to get swept up like a sandstorm in the fever of rally raids, with the Dakar now being held in Saudi Arabia and Land Rover fielding support cars before going full factory next year. In fact, it’s expected to be a well-common stock class over the next few years, if the likes of the Dacia Sanrider seem a bit extreme.
Given its remit and specifications, it seems likely that OCTA (or some variation thereof) will be the W2RC’s preferred advocate; It’s the most powerful, more off-road-focused version of the highly capable SUV. It’s easy, then, that the launch of the 635-horsepower monster is imminent, just to remind everyone of Land Rover’s commitment to seriously serious mud roads, dune-bashing, and river fording. And not just vegan leather.
Once upon a time, Buller’s mission was to create extreme defenders. The Belper-based company was bought out of administration by JLR in 2019, and by 2020 the CSP 575 was on offer, complete with a supercharged V8, rally-spec chassis and wild looks. It was due to be manufactured in 2021 and cost £200,000, until it never happened. The defenders, worth £200,000, became a trophy tribute. pity.
From there, apart from the Defender Challenge rally series it helped support, we heard precious little from Bowler, and were sad to learn that the brand’s factory is set to expire at the end of 2024. Another shame, because they made the Land Rovers of your wildest dreams: faster, higher Louder, meaner, wackier, and with decades of competition heritage behind it, it was very easy to like. OCTA is undoubtedly great, but it doesn’t (yet) have the pedigree and reputation that Bowler’s product does.
So for those who have the ultimate V8 Defender budget but are after a slightly different vibe, check this out: Bowler Bulldog in full desert garb. As a 2023 car, it is one of the last proper Bowlers built, and is said to be the penultimate and final Bulldog in rally raid specification. It’s suitably cool, of course, with equipment including a 225-litre fuel cell (!), auxiliary power supply, shovels, Bilstein suspension with hydraulic shocks, reinforced rear subframe, differential clutch, hydraulic lifters… you get the idea. The Bulldog Desert specification is, appropriately, equipped with everything a rally adventure could require.
While a V8 might seem adequate for this type of vehicle, the Bulldog is powered by a 3.0 TDV6 engine. Plenty of torque to help you out of sticky situations, at least, although what must happen for a car like this to be immobile beggars belief. Certainly nothing in the UK poses a major challenge to it. One way to know for sure, of course, is to add 300 miles of running under the wheels of the Bowler Challenge. It remains to be seen whether anyone will be brave enough to throw £200,000 at the spectacle as intended, although doing so in a Bulldog will at least ensure it’s the coolest off-roader in the quarry.