Bowler, who you may have heard of if you watched the old incarnation of Top Gear at all as a yellow Bowler actually appeared in the first season of the 2002 Top Gear series. Where Richard Hammond said “I am a driving god!”

Anyway, back to Bowler who have long been a name in modifying mainly Land Rover Defenders, but they have tinkered with a few Range Rovers too. Bowler have been going for nearly 35 years now and Land Rover has been known in the past for saying they object to third-party tuning company’s taking business away from Land Rover.

But this week, Jaguar Land Rover has announced that they have now acquired Bowler for an undisclosed sum

“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. At Special Vehicle Operations 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. Our immediate focus is on ensuring continuity of support for Bowler employees and customers during this transition to Jaguar Land Rover.”

Michael van der Sande – Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations

Jaguar Land Rover has said that Bowler will operate within the Special Vehicle Operations division of the company.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover