he Land Rover Defender
is not for everyone. Like
a wild beast, it needs to
be tamed and trained. In
stock guise, the suspension is already
too stiff for most people. The clutch is
harder than what you’re probably used
to. But this is a true 4 x 4 —one of the few
remaining examples of its kind.
When Tito Arbatin purchased his
2014 -model Defender 90 , he knew what
he wanted out of it. Instead of taming
the beast, he trained and made it into
something more beautiful, fully maxi-
mizing its potential. He needed a vehicle
that could fill his insatiable desire for
exploring and, at the same time, be com-
fortable enough for use in the concrete
jungle.
He got in touch with Bowler Motor-
sport to get the parts needed for the
build. For those who are not familiar
with Bowler, it’s a UK-based company
that specializes in the production of
racing and high-performance all-terrain
vehicles that can tackle the toughest
landscapes in the planet.
The goal was to make Tito’s Defend-
er suitable for road use, but also capable
of outperforming normal 4 x 4 vehicles
off-road. The first step was to install the
Road package kit, composed of exterior
bits like aluminum bumpers, side sills
and a steering guard. The suspen-
sion that came with the package
were custom Bilstein dampers and
springs able to withstand the worst
T
terrain nature has to offer. The ride was
greatly stiffened, making the handling
much more composed.
The exterior was made to look
exactly like that of a Bowler Defender
Challenge 90 with matching decals.
Aftermarket LED lights were also added
to improve visibility. To complete the
look, Tito installed Bowler lightweight
18 -inch rims that are awesome to look
at and functional at the same time.
As for the engine, it was upgraded
to output 185 hp and 515 Nm. This
was all done here through what
Bowler calls ‘remote tuning.’ “My car
was used as the guinea pig for remote
tuning because normally, all engine
tuning is done by Bowler in-house,”
Tito says. “Yes, you can purchase the
kit and install it yourself, but tuning has
never been done outside Bowler.” An
empty chip was sent here, and Tito and
his guys at Project Arrow 4 x 4 Outfitters
had to coordinate directly with Bowler
to complete the ‘Stage 2 ’ tuning, finally
making the ECU upgrade complete.
The interior went through an au-
2014 land rover defender 90
Words by Cuthbert Go PhotoGraPhy by Ian Ma
Gbanua
Tough
enough
the DefenDer can go
anywhere, especially
when in bowler form
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