Photo: Brad Builds
You might think that the world isn't ready for an SUV-based race car, but we're nearly there. And if you're interested in going fast in any kind of off-road scenario, a Land Rover seems like a good place to start.
The British automaker's Defender was the base for the legendary Bowler Wildcat, which became a household name after being featured on top gear. Of curse, that has nothing in common with the humble Discovery Sport.
The baby Disco came out in 2014 as a replacement for the Freelander and unless we're mistaken is the most popular Land Rover model in the world right now. We can see why that is. It looks rugged, comes from a company that only makes SUVs and will carry seven people at a pinch.
But it's also quite boring. Most of the ones puttering around Europe are powered by 2-liter diesel engines making 150-180 horsepower. A 0 to 100 km/h time of 11 seconds and 180 km/h (112 lb-ft) top speed is perfectly fine for a commute, but digital artist Brad Builds dreams of some serious engine swapping.
This isn't the first time his work provoked reactions, as we recently featured his take on the Maserati Levante SUV, which was grounded in a similar way. But the Discovery Sport looks more race-ready, with an adjustable air splitter at the front and the exhaust coming out through the hood. So it's more like a dragster than anything else.
His work isn't a Photoshop rendering, as the accurately painting in new elements on an existing SUV would take forever. Instead, we think he used the popular 3D mapping software Keyshot. You could probably buy this from him and make a crazy video game... if Land Rover okayed it as well, which they won't.
With the Urus preparing for a racing series in Dubai soon, it won't be long before this becomes the norm. Many carmakers don't even have normal cars they can race anymore. We can't wait to come back to this story and say "I told you so."
The baby Disco came out in 2014 as a replacement for the Freelander and unless we're mistaken is the most popular Land Rover model in the world right now. We can see why that is. It looks rugged, comes from a company that only makes SUVs and will carry seven people at a pinch.
But it's also quite boring. Most of the ones puttering around Europe are powered by 2-liter diesel engines making 150-180 horsepower. A 0 to 100 km/h time of 11 seconds and 180 km/h (112 lb-ft) top speed is perfectly fine for a commute, but digital artist Brad Builds dreams of some serious engine swapping.
This isn't the first time his work provoked reactions, as we recently featured his take on the Maserati Levante SUV, which was grounded in a similar way. But the Discovery Sport looks more race-ready, with an adjustable air splitter at the front and the exhaust coming out through the hood. So it's more like a dragster than anything else.
His work isn't a Photoshop rendering, as the accurately painting in new elements on an existing SUV would take forever. Instead, we think he used the popular 3D mapping software Keyshot. You could probably buy this from him and make a crazy video game... if Land Rover okayed it as well, which they won't.
With the Urus preparing for a racing series in Dubai soon, it won't be long before this becomes the norm. Many carmakers don't even have normal cars they can race anymore. We can't wait to come back to this story and say "I told you so."
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