Lot Ended
Description
Tomcat 100inch hailing from the Bowler era boasting a fruity 3.9
V8 EFi with manual 'box, composite panels over shortened Range Rover chassis and
integral roll cage; road legal former competition vehicle that goes like stink
and seats four
What a thing.
Hailing from the period when Drew Bowler had been building Tomcats
using shortened 80inch and 100inch Range Rover chassis for use in the ARC
(Association of Land Rover Clubs) events. The Tomcat name signified use of the
shortened Range Rover chassis and then followed by the Bowler Wildcat which used
a tubular skeleton chassis. Post 2001, the Tomcat rights were purchased by Paul
Williamson and Steve Wells in April 2001 to continue to produce the Tomcats as
they had been before the split from Bowler.
An
earlier example built in 2000, this vehicle was built up and constantly honed
and improved from the original Tomcat kit by two chaps, one of whom then went on
to set up a specialist Land Rover focused Xtreme4x4 company and the other, a
Formula 2 team manager, who has owned it since May 2005. It was originally blue
and fitted with a 3.5 carb-fed Rover V8 with roll body and roll cage sat on a
shortened 100inch Range Rover chassis as demonstrated from various images online
of the vehicle competing in the Southern Counties Off Road Club
events.
Raced by the chaps who built it until a
few years ago when it was morphed into what we see here with a more on-road
bias. The original engine was
replaced with a later fuel-injected 3.9 Rover V8 which we understand to have
been breathed on, driving all four-wheels via an R380 five-speed manual box and
sits on a set of Compomotive alloy wheels finished in Satin black with side exit
exhausts either side - this Tomcat shouts loud enough to wake the
dead!
As part of the conversion for road use, a
pair of more comfortable sports seats were fitted with regular 3-point seat
belts up front with the rear seat from a VW Scirocco fitted in the rear with
3-point race harnesses.
At some point the roll
cage was modified to cover the whole vehicle and looks to be integral to the
structure forming the front header rail onto which the windscreen is set, the
side panels and rear sections. All
body panels are plastic/composite including wings and bonnet thus its rather
lightweight, with the engine set low – as a result, this Tomcat really shifts
and handles surprisingly well, stopping with considerable force via disc brakes
all round.
The history file includes only the
V5C showing one former keeper, an invoice for the new tyres fitted in
July last year and another for new LED head light and side light
lenses. We also find some information on Bowler Tomcats and the current
MOT valid until June 2024 with no advisories recorded.
The vendor
advises that the speedo does not work (hence the phone cradle for Google
maps and your speed) nor the odometer, but there is power going to the digital
display, although the rev counter and other gauges do function. The steering
wheel is also a quick-release type.
The truck
goes particularly well on or off road and looks mean, turns lots of heads
and makes people stop and ask questions. It has the unmistakable V8 rumble
with decent road manners, helped of course by brand new rubber on all four
corners and looks like a lot of fun. Ideal to play with on road, for jaunts
to the beach, or the pub on a sunny day or for playing with down green lanes or
even perhaps competitively again - the choice is yours.
For more
information contact - [email protected]