High-performance buggy manufacturer brings quality-critical machining in-house

摘要

Fans of the BBC's Top Gear motoring programme will best-know presenter Richard Hammond for his headline-grabbing near-fatal crash in a jet-powered dragster earlier this year. They may also remember what is commonly regarded as his second most famous moment - and arguably his most famous on-air quote - delivered to camera as he wrestled a fiery 300hp Bowler Wildcat 4×4 vehicle around a quarry pit somewhere in the UK. In a moment of unbridled joy, and with a wanton disregard for the inevitable ridicule he would later face from his co-presenters, Mr Hammond threw his head back and exclaimed: "I am a driving god!" While a nation of car-loving 'small boys' of all ages could at least imagine what he felt like, the Bowler Wildcat costs some ￡50,000, which is a lot of anyone's money, even if the vehicle does comes with a prime-time TV recommendation. However, Dunstable-based Rage Motorsport - a small but expanding engineering business - will sell you an off-road buggy powered by a six-speed 180hp Honda Fireblade motorcycle engine for about one third the cost of a Bowler. While Rage Motorsport's buggy may not be Paris/Dakar-ready like the Bowler, it has a top speed of over 100mph and "can still make you feel like someone has put the universe on fast-forward".