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Two years before Jaguar Land Rover took over the company, off-road racing specialist Bowler sent its Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV) prototype to the 2017 Defence and Security Equipment International expo. Halfway between an extreme safari truck and a light utility vehicle ready for conflict zones, the RIV was built as a collaboration between Bowler and the U.K. Ministry of Defence. It showcased how Bowler’s brand new Cross Sector Platform (CSP) could answer the call of a wide range of customers, starting with defense and emergency services.
Finished to military-grade standards, the Bowler RIV is powered by Land Rover’s turbocharged V6 diesel tuned to 300 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, sent through ZF’s eight-speed automatic to an all-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case. Thanks to its long-travel independent suspension and rigid spaceframe, once in low range, the RIV is pretty much as unstoppable as four-seater trucks can get. Switch the drivetrain back to high, and this prototype will show plenty of all-terrain speed as well because that’s how they do things at Bowler.
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With its riveted aluminum body and cleverly lightened chassis, the 2017 Bowler Rapid Intervention Vehicle is a modular vehicle with OEM JLR parts and a payload rating of 4,400 pounds. It is also rarer than Bowler’s Bond-rated Spectre Defender pickups, or in fact any other racing truck they built around Land Rover’s wildest powertrains.
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Never registered for the road and maybe difficult to do so in certain countries due to its prototype nature, this now four-year-old military concept shows just 170 miles on its Motec digital instruments. Offered at no reserve, RM Sotheby’s estimates this online-only unicorn item to fetch $90,000-$120,000, with collection from Chobham in the United Kingdom.
In case you’re now wondering, yes, this is indeed a way better proposition than the U.S.-intended Lamborghini Cheetah was in the ’70s. Good luck and, if you get it, please let us know when we at The Drive can go for a spin.
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