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.
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 mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
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.