Land Rover announced a Defender-based rally car designed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise. The vehicle will be driven by Mark Higgins, three-times British Rally Champion and Bond stunt driver, in the 2022 Bowler Defender Challenge on March 26, 2022.
The first James Bond film, “Dr. No”, starring Sean Connery, debuted on October 5 1962. Six decades later, the double agent has appeared in 25 films, with their titles listed on the bonnet and tailgate of the special Defender. The gold-on-black livery also features the number 60 on the sides and roof, infused with the official 007 logo.
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Besides the one-off livery, the rally-prepped Defender 90 is distinguished by the different grille and intakes for enhanced engine cooling, the extra LED bar, the removal of the spare tire from the tailgate, the sports exhaust, the rear spoiler, the mud flaps, and the 18-inch Bowler wheels shod in all-terrain tires.
The SUV has also been retrofitted with a bespoke suspension for increased stiffness, while a roll cage and a pair of racing buckets have been added in the cabin for safety. Under the bonnet lies the P300 Ingenium powertrain – a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol producing 296 hp (221 kW / 300 PS) mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
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The team that will race the SUV in the North Wales of the 2022 Bowler Defender Challenge consist of driver Mark Higgins and co-driver Claire Williams. Higgins returns to rallying following an illustrious career with three driver’s titles on the British Rally Championship. He is also pretty familiar with James Bond, working as a stunt driver for the past four films – Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die.
The Land Rover Defender made quite an appearance in the latest Bond film “No Time To Die” that premiered last year. However, this was not the first time a Land Rover was seen alongside the secret agent on the big screen, since the automaker has a long-lasting partnership with the franchise starting from the “Octopussy” film in 1983.
