Released in 1979, the Aston Martin Bulldog is a mid-engined sports car concept that owes its fame mainly to its ultra-low and streamlined silhouette. The idea was to produce it on a small scale in order to compete with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of this world.
At the time, the competition was reaching top speeds of around 180 mph (290 km/h), but Aston Martin had set itself the goal of beating everyone else by going to 200 mph (322 km/h). kph). Unfortunately, the Bulldog couldn’t do better than 191 mph (307 km/h). As financial means were limited, Aston Martin boss Victor Gauntlett decided to abandon the project and sell the car to a customer in the Middle East.
To make a long story short, the Bulldog was salvaged and restored in recent years by the British company Classic Motors Cars under the supervision of Richard Gauntlett, son of Victor. In 2022, she even won the prestigious Coppa d’Oro at the Concours d’Elegance in Villa d’Este, Italy.
Photo: Classic Motor Cars/Facebook
Powered by a 600-hp 5.3-liter twin-turbo V8, the Bulldog was recently unleashed on the track of a former NATO military base in Scotland and it finally delivered on its 44-year-old promise by speeding to at a speed of 205.4 mph (330.6 km/h).
“The conditions were perfect and the car handled perfectly too, easily hitting 200 mph,” said Aston Martin test driver and three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Darren Turner. . The Bulldog has now accomplished the feat promised by Aston Martin and everyone who worked on the car, from the original engineers and designers to the team at Classic Motor Cars who undertook the restoration under the direction of Richard Gauntlett, can be proud of it. »
Sure, modern exotic sports cars have no problem driving at speeds well over 200 mph, but as the saying goes, better late than never!