Tomcat

Introduction

Tomcat Motorsport ltd established in 2001, is the
manufacturer of specialist Landrover based off road and on road competition
vehicles. Tomcat Motorsport manufacture the original ‘Drew Bowler’ cars and
derivatives of.

Tomcats are lightweight, competitive, capable and fun 4wd
Land Rover based vehicles. Whether an on road general toy, off road weekend
warrior, trialler or offroad race car, the Tomcat was conceived and built for
your needs.

 

With 700+ Tomcats built since Drew Bowler designed and built
the very first one in the early 80’s, Tomcats are by far the most popular 4x4
kit in the UK today.

 

Tomcats are built as a new chassis frame combination based
on live axle Landrover defenders, Range Rovers, or Discovery S1 and S2.

The Models are 80” designed for trialling, the 88” designed
for Trials, Team recovery and Competitive safari, both vehicles are Association
of Landrover Club compliant. The 93” designed primarily for winch challenges,
the 100”, primarily used for national and international Competitive Safaris,
Hill rallies and other off-road championships. Finally, the 106”, developed to
do the same as the 100” but with added rear length to house either a rear
engine layout or large fuel tank and spare tyres for rally raid events. All the
above can also been used as road cars. We have even seen a couple as track
cars!

 

The above Tomcats can be built using selected new and used
parts to complete a vehicle (subject to details), using a complete donor
vehicle including registration and V5, or can be built using all new parts to
register as a brand-new car if the car is to be road legal.

The models were developed as detailed above however, there are
no two Tomcat’s which are the same? All models can be tailored to suite their
owners needs and requirements. We can supply the bare frame / chassis
combination through to full factory build or anywhere in between. It all
depends on your desires and budget.

The Objective

In the early 1980’s, Drew Bowler set out to design cars for
off road competition based on Landrover products. His objective was simple, to
produce vehicles which could outperform their standard stable mates in off road
competitions while keeping the costs to the minimum for Bowler / Tomcat owners.

 

This ethic remains strong in the Tomcat model lineup today.
We are committed to deliver cost effective competition-based Tomcat vehicles
and components for both competition and road use for all. In addition, Tomcat
Motorsport is now working hard to meet modern demands, legislative requirements
and environmental obligations.

Tomcat

Environmental Responsibilities

Environmental responsibilities cannot be ignored in these times and Tomcat Motorsport is no exception. That said, almost by accident Tomcat Motorsport has been an environmentally conscious manufacturer of cars long before it was an even an issue. Tomcat motorsport has always-

- Repurposed tired Landrover vehicles into Bowler and Tomcat builds, avoiding their donors from being completely scrapped. To repurpose a vehicle produces significantly less carbon than to build a brand-new vehicle


-All material used to build Tomcats are recyclable with exception of the tyres

- Their annual mileage / use is very minimal in comparison to normal road cars, this results in very low emissions collectively compared to normal modes of transport


- We have always tried to source parts locally to avoid long distance shipping which is very carbon intensive

In addition to past achievements, Tomcat Motorsport is adopting new ways and methods to act more environmentally responsible as follows:

- To use more modern land rover vehicle donors, this will enable us to continue to repurpose these vehicles, keeping the carbon used to manufacture low and keep true to the Tomcat Motorsport brand and objectives.


- Where possible we ensure all waste materials used in the manufacture of Tomcat vehicles are disposed of responsibly and recycled where possible

- Ensure all contaminated materials are disposed of in a controlled manner and where possible we ensure this material is recycled.


- Repurpose where we can, if manufactured new it is made with material which can be recycled completely


- We will not use Carbon Fibre, while this is recyclable it is not cost effective to do so yet. We will keep an eye on this.

- We are finding methods of recycling fibre glass, to avoid currently using land fill


- We propose to promote the use of Fossil free octane fuel in our up and coming race series. This fuel is genuinely carbon neutral and ICE’s alive for the future. This is a strong direction for Tomcat Motorsport!


- Alternative power trains are being considered if they genuinely deliver improvement to environmental gains.


- We are looking into wind power, solar panels and batteries as a means of alternative electricity to supply for the lights and machinery in the factory. This we will help reduce costs as well as improve our environmental impact

- Heating for the factory uses waste oil, again avoiding the use of new fossil fuels.

Our History

Tomcat Motorsport Ltd was started by Paul Williamson (who owns the oldest production bowler) and still competes with it (when work allows) and Steve Wells (who at one time owned number 2 Bowler)

Formed in 2001 Tomcat Motorsport Ltd took over production of the Tomcat vehicle and support for the Wildcat 100s from Drew Bowler, when he moved to concentrate on the renowned Bowler Wildcat 200. Almost immediately 2 new models (the 93 and 106) were developed and added to the range, already including the original 88, 80 and 100, expanding it to 5 distinct vehicles.

In July 2003, Steve and Paul along with a third partner, Ian Frame, bought a company to produce their own fibreglass bodywork. Ian’s vast experience in this field allowed Paul and Steve to improve and develop the bodywork which now includes doors, dashboards, GRP tunnels, new scoops for rear cooling and in 2004 production of the first all metallic gel coat Tomcat

.

In 2004 Tomcat Motorsport moved from its humble (and cramped) origins into a new workshop which tripled the available floor space and allowed for new developments, higher efficiency and much better conditions. This also allowed the company to invest in more equipment and processes to continue building kits and full ‘turn key’ Tomcats, also, to repair general 4x4s and to prepare and service competition cars.

After 23 years of successful trading in Skellingthorpe, in 2024 Hofton Holdings Ltd acquired Tomcat Motorsport Ltd including Paul Williamson who is still a key figure within Tomcat Motorsport ltd. The Skellingthorpe factory was closed in August 2024 and the new factory opened on Coach Gap Lane, Langar Nottingham, NG13 9HP

Tomcat Motorsport has expanded its reach around the world, due to the global coverage of the excellent British off road press and popularity of traditional Land Rover products, demand for Tomcat vehicles and parts has come from all over the planet. Tomcats (in kit form or as complete vehicles) have been shipped to the US, Australia, Africa, Eastern Europe, New Zealand, the Mediterranean and even Iceland.

The Future

Motorsport development never stops and generations in motorsport change, we at Tomcat Motorsport need to keep up with these changes in order to meet long term demand. The current Tomcat model line is still desirable with strong sales, so we have no ambition to change this. However, we must look to make changes for the future as follows:

Reliance on donor cars for current models

We are aware used live axle Landrover products are becoming rarer to find, which also has a knock on effect of being more expensive to obtain, we are therefore working hard to develop and build new products and evolutions of existing products which allow us to be less reliant on the live axle donor cars. Our main objective is you can build any of the existing tomcat model line using significantly less or no donor components. Considerable progress has already been made in this venture. We will keep you updated in this progress on social media

Target Audience

Tomcat motorsport have benefitted for a good following over the years and we work hard to keep this following from our loyal customers and followers. We have no plans to change the design of the ALRC cars and will continue to manufacture the successful 100” and 106” in their current guise. However, for the brand to flourish we need to look further afield in our target audience, we are making strides to show the rest of the vehicle enthusiast world what Tomcat Motorsport is and can do, particularly with our road car program as an alternative to some specialist sports cars and the like. Subtle changes will be needed to be made in addition to the current line up to present a wider appeal to the enthusiast who may not be so familiar with the Tomcat brand and purpose. This will include, more modern drive trains, a more usable interior, better access and a usable rear flat bed or boot etc. We will do our very best to ensure any changes made to enhance the car design does not have a detrimental effect on the current line up design or performance. All these developments will be posted on social media, where no doubt you will let us know if we have got it right or wrong!

New Models

The Tomcat model line development has never stopped, it is still a lightweight car by modern standards and depending on spec can be a powerful competitive and very fun car to own and drive whether competitively or not. The problem we face is live axle Landrovers suitable for donors have not been manufactured since 2006.

We therefore need to look into the future, to develop a new car using modern donor Landrover products. Any new model developed by Tomcat Motorsport will still be in kit form and represent value for money. Lastly and most importantly, it will not replace the current model line, it will run along side, as stated before we have no plans to phase out the current tomcat model range.

We are in early days with this, so at this stage no further information is going to be made public. When we have more information we will release this on this website not social media.