zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House
The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:28

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

I’m always on the lookout for that stand out in the crowd. It’s not often a new RV interests me but clearly Bowlus is here to change that. The Road Chief Terra Firma is an art piece you can take off of the grid, and I absolutely adore it. If only it weren’t so expensive.

The pandemic has many people feeling the cabin fever and wanting to get out. So it makes complete sense that the RV industry is seeing and manufacturers like are launching astonishingly appealing campers. If you haven’t heard of Bowlus before, don’t worry, I hadn’t either.

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

Thankfully, the company has a about its history. The original Bowlus was created nearly 90 years ago by aircraft engineer Hawley Bowlus. He may be best known for his work on Charles Lindbergh’s . He also had extensive experience in building gliders. Bowlus’s first travel trailer was the result of an idea to build a trailer to transport flight crews. What’s amazing is that the Bowlus you see today is practically a photocopy of the old one.

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

Its exterior design already had me gushing, but check out the interior of this thing.

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

The interior is inspired by yachts; Bowlus wanted to emulate the feeling of a lazy afternoon with its colors and materials. I’d call it a success. I just want to post up next to a lake with one of these and waste an entire weekend.

It’s packing a bit of a technological punch, too. The trailer comes equipped with an 8kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery so you can spend some time completely off of the grid. However, that time off of the grid cannot last too long as liquid-holding capacities are quite low. You’re allotted only 19 gallons of fresh water and 21 gallons of grey water.

The Road Chief also comes equipped with HEPA air filters, water filtration and UVC lighting for surface sanitizing. A more amusing feature is the ability to GPS-track the trailer, as if anyone would be dumb enough to try to get away with stealing something so eye-catching. I joke, but it is pretty neat. Owners can also control HVAC remotely, which makes it nice for our furry friends.

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

The coolest thing about this trailer to me is its weight. All of that luxury only adds up to a 3,200 pound empty weight. So this thing can be towed by a vast variety of vehicles.

Not so cool is its $265,000 price tag. Bowlus does offer a couple of cheaper versions, but even the cheapest Endless Highways model is a whopping $190,000. At that price, it better be towable by almost anything. It costs more than some houses.

Image for article titled The Bowlus Road Chief Terra Firma Is A Beautiful Art Piece That Costs More Than Your House

Still, I’m glad it exists, and if I ever see one glamping you bet I’ll talk the owner up.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Apr 22, 2025
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Apr 22, 2025
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Apr 22, 2025
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Apr 22, 2025
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Apr 22, 2025
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Apr 22, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved