BowlerNiche British car maker Bowler has been making road rally vehicles that can take serious punishment since 1989. Now they’ve gone all pedestrian on us by making a street-legal passenger vehicle. With the assistance of Land Rover in the creation of its powertrain, the all new Bowler EXR S ($242,000) delivers some serious automotive firepower for your on-road and off-road adventures. Though Bowler and Land Rover have been working together for decades, the EXR S marks a less-than subtle partnership endeavor. In return for full chassis, powertrain and tech support from Land Rover, Bowler will market its EXR S as “Powered by Land Rover.” Like peas and carrots.
The EXR S has some serious chops since it’s based on the Bowler EXR rally car. According to Bowler, the EXR S has the same performance characteristics in terms of handling, weight distribution and rigidity as the original EXR. It’s not often you see a race-ready car’s punch list make it to a passenger vehicle. And that’s just the start. The EXR S actually outpowers its predecessor with a Land Rover 5.0-liter V8 that boasts 510 horsepower, mated to a six-speed ZF automatic tranny. The power is good for a 0-60 sprint in an astounding 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. There are plenty of amenities too like Brembo 6 and 4 piston brake calipers, Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs, a usable cargo area, and leather sport seats. It even spoils riders with power windows — unlike the EXR, it spoils us with side windows. The folks at Bowler claim that you get supercar performance in the rough stuff as well as on tarmac, so when that Gallardo munches its air damn on speed bump, you can sail past him and give the thumbs up.
Buy Now: $242,000