Bowler Nemesis CAR (2007) review

What’s this? It looks like a Range Rover Sport on steroids!

Well, essentially it is. However, there’s much more to the Bowler Nemesis than its humble Range Rover DNA. Let me explain. British off-road specialist Bowler was founded 25 years ago when Drew Bowler, a blacksmith by trade, decided to mate a Land Rover body with a Range Rover chassis. This mutant combination produced a stunningly capable off-road device that had the high suspension travel characteristics of the Defender mixed in with the technologically advanced underpinnings of its Range Rover brother. Originally designed for personal use, it wasn’t long before orders were coming in for similar, roll-cage equipped, race-prepped cars to compete in the growing series of off-road motorsports around the UK. As demand increased, Bowler developed its conversion to be sold in kit form branded Tomcat. Customers with a standard pre-1994 Range Rover could then purchase the kit which would include everything needed to transform it into a competition-spec racer.

So this is a kit car?

Hold on, I’ve not got to that yet. After the success of the kit car Tomcat, Bowler turned its attention back to ready-built turn-key racers. The £80,000 Wildcat 100 was the result. Again based around the Defender shell, however this time with a much lighter and stronger tubular spaceframe chassis, the Wildcat 100 was designed to compete on the worldwide off-road stage. But rather than a stereotypical mud-slinger, the Wildcat was destined for drier terrain…the desert. African and European desert rallies in particular with an eye to competing in the gruelling 5000-mile Paris-Dakar. The brutish Range Rover Sport-based Nemesis is a direct descendant of the desert storming Wildcat, and is the car in which Bowler is hoping to achieve a cupboard-full of silverware in 2008's transcontinental race. History lesson over, how does it drive? Click 'Next' to find out.