TopGear - August 2015 PH

thentic Bowler makeover as well, with

the steering wheel and shift levers

swapped out in favor of Bowler-spec

items. The seats are currently leather

Recaro race seats while Tito waits for

Bowler seats with racing harnesses to

become available.

Though this Defender is a work in

progress, it has been tested in various

locations around the country. “I am a

bird photographer, and my hobby takes

me to a lot of remote places where there

are no roads. The overall theme for my

Bowler is to have something I could use

for my adventures. It’s not easy carry-

ing over 20 kilos of equipment on my

back everywhere I go,” explains Tito.

“So, my Bowler is a mix of both my

worlds. If I fully convert it to the Bowler

Challenge specs, I won’t be able to use

it on normal roads. And besides, no one

here in the Philippines organizes races

in that (Dakar/Dirt Race) category.”

“I built it the way I like it,” he contin-

ues. “I use it the way it was designed to

be used. What’s the point of getting an

all-terrain vehicle otherwise?”

WWW.topgear.com.ph TOP GEAR PHILIPPINES 111

THE MODIFICATIONS

ENGINE

Bowler Stage 2 engine

tune; Bowler straight

exhaust system

Suspension: Bowler

suspension system

(custom Bilstein damp-

ers and springs; ARB

bushes and steering

damper); Bowler

18-inch rims

EXTERIOR

Bowler front bumper,

steering guard, towing

eyes, and sill protec-

tors; PIAA LED

foglamps; LED head-

lights, turn signals,

brake light, and rear

foglamp

INTERIOR

Recaro leather race

seats; Bowler MOMO

steering wheel; Bowler

short-throw gear levers

EvERy MOD HAS A

PuRPOSE. NOTHING

IS juST fOR LOOkS

DO yOu kNOw HOw

TO DRIvE A PROPER

MANuAL GEARBOx?

THIS DEfENDER 90

cOMPETES IN fAST

RALLycROSS STAGES