4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 2000–07
NAMED MODELSpecial · MotorsportUnited Kingdom

Wildcat in the Dakar (2000–07)

Factory and privately entered Wildcats in the Dakar Rally from 2000, when Bowler first went to the event.

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Sources & evidence
Wildcat in the Dakar (2000–07) — J888 FSH, a 2001 Bowler Wildcat in Dakar specification.Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
BASE VEHICLEWildcat (1998–2007)BUILT BYBowlerIN SERVICE2000–07OPERATED INUnited KingdomPRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 100″

The record

Bowler first entered the Dakar in 2000 with the Wildcat. By 2005 its factory team was the second-largest at the event after the works Mitsubishi team and had the highest number of finishers. Auto Express recorded in 2010 that privately owned Wildcats had finished in the Dakar's top 20 three times. Wildcats also ran in the Rallye des Pharaons, the Baja de France and Baja Great Britain.

Specification

MANUFACTURERBowler ↗
Belper
MANUFACTURED2000–07
ENGINERover V8 petrolRover V8
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINUnited Kingdom
OPERATED INUnited Kingdom
STATUSsuperseded by the Nemesis
RECORD KINDNamed model
MODEL LINEWildcat
FAMILYWildcat
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE100″
BODY STYLErally-raid
CATEGORYSpecial · Motorsport

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Base model variants

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Bowler Wildcat: the road-legal rally racer that conquered the Dakar Rally ↗CarBuzz · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  2. 2Bowler ↗LRLife · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  3. 3QT Wildcat 500DKR (20 October 2010) ↗Auto Express · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE
  4. 4Bowler Wildcat ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-24SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-24 · status: researched