The North Wales leg of the Bowler Defender Challenge was won in style by Mark Higgins and co-driver Claire Williams in their Bowler Bond Defender which boasts a golden 007 livery with satin black paintwork underneath.
Higgins, proficient in rally and equally capable as a stunt driver in the James Bond franchise made a winning return to the rallying scene after he and co-driver Claire Williams won the North Wales leg of the 2022 Defender Bowler Challenge in Dolgellau.
The pair completed the Bowler Defender Challenge leg with a time of 55 minutes and 12 seconds, 1 minute and 41 seconds ahead of the nearest rival. Other than the competition-rally spec Defender 90 with the standard 2.0-litre four-cylinder P300 Ingenium engine, the standout feature of the winning car was its James Bond Partnership theme.
Higgins has featured in the last four James Bond films, albeit keeping his anonymity when performing stunts behind the wheel alongside British actor Daniel Craig. While the Northern Wales rally may have been less theatrical than any of the 007 movies, Land Rover nonetheless put together a brief film of the events which demonstrates the ability of their retro-styled product.
Watch the Land Rover Defender Rally Special here.
The golden livery theme on their rally-modified Defender 90 includes 007 inspired artwork on each panel, with the names of each movie produced throughout the lifetime of the 60 year old franchise. All mechanical upgrades to the compact Landy were completed by the team at Bowler in what looks like an ever capable all-terrain vehicle.
