Confession time. I've wanted to drive this car for a very long time, ever since I came across a photo of a bright yellow version leaping menacingly off the top of a berm during a cross-country race, which became my desktop wallpaper.
Back then it was known as a Bowler and its creator, Drew Bowler, had established a reputation for building fast, powerful and competitive off-roaders based on custom chassis. Fast forward to 2007 and enter Dave Marsh of QT Services, himself an off-road racer and manufacturer of competition parts and accessories. Starting out in trial cars, Dave ended up winning the National Team Trial three years running. That was followed by a move to cross-country races, and clinching the Hill Rally Championship in 1998. What had started out as a hobby — building parts and cars for friends — had become a business.
Marsh and Bowler had discussed the idea of building the Wildcat, but nothing came of it until Bowler decided to concentrate on the Nemesis, and he called Marsh and asked if he wanted to buy the Wildcat outright. Deal duly done, QT bought the design, manufacturing rights and name, and by 2008 had built its first car. As Marsh himself says, QT Services was in the business of building dedicated race cars, but found that more and more of its customers wanted something a bit more road friendly. The result is the Wildcat 300 STR, based on a full race chassis, but with modern creature comforts included. In fact, all of QT's cars are capable of being road registered (necessitated by some classes of competition), and the ‘road' cars have exactly the same tubular steel spaceframe chassis as the full-on racers.
This particular car is proof positive of how seriously QT takes the Middle East. It was built as a full ‘Gulf Spec' car following extensive discussions with local Land Rover specialist Mark Powell of Saluki Motorsports, and though it's not the first Wildcat to have AC installed, the system in this car was created specifically for the region. You also get wool carpets, leather and carbon-fibre trim, custom switchgear and even Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity. There's even a storage bin for your shopping, and a box for your golf clubs can be supplied.
Mechanically, it's a combination of Land Rover/Range Rover parts, modified Land Rover running gear and custom-built suspension. Radius arms and Watt's linkages are built in-house, as is much of the electrical system and switchgear. Engines are a choice of Jaguar or Land Rover, ranging from the 4.0-litre V8 up to the 4.8, with Jaguar also supplying a supercharged 4.4-litre.
Work is under way to develop the Land Rover TDV6 turbodiesel, popular in the UK, into full racing spec for competition.
The Gulf Spec Wildcat meanwhile gets the 4.6-litre version of the Rover engine, here producing 282bhp and 392Nm of torque. This goes through a five-speed manual 'box to all four wheels, and there is a low-range 'box as well. Final drive is taller than that of the racers, to allow for comfortable and relaxed cruising on road.
Getting into the Wildcat is relatively easy. As Marsh says, there's an order to doing it — leg, bum, head — and once you've mastered that, it's straightforward even for someone as tall as himself. The seats are full racing buckets by Motordrive, with four-point harnesses to hold you in place, and they're surprisingly comfortable once you're in. This particular car is set up for Marsh and his legs are somewhat longer than my own, but as he says, every car is built and fitted to the driver's own particular specification.
Starting is push-button simple — keep the key in your pocket, put your foot on the brake or clutch and press. The V8 in front of you explodes into life and settles into a menacing rumble. Clutch in, slot the gear lever into first, and away you go.
Marsh reckons that the distance record for selling a car is in the first 30 metres, but I would confidently say it's even less than that. Perhaps more than any other car I have driven, this one puts a huge smile on your face. Driving it around, just in traffic, is sufficient to bring on fits of giggles, even laughter, at the sheer incongruity of it all. Make no mistake, this car is pure, solid, unadulterated fun.
On the move, there's a wonderful mechanical linearity to the controls, a direct responsiveness and connectedness that delivers immediate feedback to the smallest input.
The suede-trimmed steering wheel (with top centre mark stitched in) is small, and connected to a quick ratio steering rack, so the front of the car reacts instantly to your every input. There is absolutely no slack at all; it simply goes where you point it, instantly.
The same goes for the drivetrain. Although the gear lever is tall, it puts the top a hand-width away from the wheel so it's right where you want it, and the shift feel is pure precision steel. The shift isn't particularly fast, but it moves with an oily accuracy that is a delight to feel. For racing purposes, there is a Sadev sequential 'box available, and the Wildcat GS can be ordered with an automatic if you prefer. Me, I like mechanical, and the manual box suits the nature of the car.
And it really is a hoot to drive, pouncing forward with a twitch of the throttle, growling furiously amongst the Camrys and Accords which throng our streets. No other car that I have driven here has attracted such attention. Wherever we went, other cars would pull alongside, children gesturing within, camera phones at the ready. In the course of a short afternoon, we were stalked by Maseratis, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and a heavily camouflaged Audi, all of which wanted a closer look. Mind you, I was equally keen to get a closer look at that Audi but was too busy concentrating on not running into it to get a shot.
Time to get a move on. The Wildcat pounces forward with real ferocity thanks to relatively short gearing (though the race cars run even shorter ratios), and the suspension is surprisingly supple. Fox dampers control the movement, and though there is some roll, it is possible to corner the Wildcat with an alacrity that would embarrass many a hot hatch. That roll is more than compensated for by the ride quality — bumps and humps simply aren't a problem, and the car soaks up the worst that our patchwork roads can throw at it. Braking is equally impressive, the standard-fit Alcons scrubbing off speed with easy, fade-free progression.
On the move, the Wildcat feels lithe and agile, responding quickly and accurately to your input and providing a raucous soundtrack to accompany your every move. Get used to it — this car is not for the shy or faint-hearted. You're going to get stared at, photographed, followed and stopped for a chat more times than you'd ever believe.
Verdict
The Wildcat feels ‘unburstable' mechanically, even old-fashioned in its machine-like precision, and yet it's modern. But for me, the thing it most resembles is the Cheshire cat from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Long, long after the cat has faded from view, the grin remains plastered firmly across my face.
Specs
Model Wildcat 300 STR
Engine 4.6-litre V8
Transmission Five-speed manual, AWD
Max power 282bhp
Max torque 392Nm
Top speed 193kph
0-100kph 5.9sec
Price Dh560,000 (as tested)
Plus Speed, power, attitude, exclusivity
Minus Your mum won't like it!
