Land Rover Has Bought Off-Road Racing Specialist Bowler

Bowler, the company that builds race-ready off-roaders based on Land Rovers, has been bought by the famous 4x4-maker.

The Derbyshire-based masters of off-road performance will be integrated into the company under the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division, guided and controlled by SVO as a gateway to innovations in off-road dynamics, new production techniques and race-based testing.

There has been a growing partnership between Land Rover and its new acquisition, which was founded by Drew Bowler in 1985. In 2012 the brands formed a partnership that eventually bore fruit with the Defender Challenge by Bowler rally series that ran from 2014-2016.

Bowler won’t move from its Belper headquarters at this time, says JLR. It joins the Special Vehicle, Classic and Vehicle Personalisation departments under the SVO umbrella.

Michael van der Sande, Managing Director of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations, said:

“For almost 35 years the Bowler name has stood for innovation and success, with a reputation forged by its participation in the world’s toughest off-road motorsport competitions. It’s exciting that we’re now in a position to participate in and lead the Bowler brand’s future as part of Jaguar Land Rover.

“We are all eager to start working with our new colleagues at Bowler. Adding the Bowler team’s skills and experience to those of SV, Vehicle Personalisation and Classic is a key step in our strategy to create an exciting and diverse portfolio of products and businesses within Special Vehicle Operations.”