Something very special is about to happen with the now over 40 year old Aston Martin Bulldog Concept. They will try again whether he can set his intended speed record at the time.
In 1980 Aston Martin pulled the curtain on the Bulldog Concept. A very strikingly designed supercar that had to reflect a good dose of the brand’s sporty ambition. The Bulldog was the crème de la crème for its time when it came to what Aston Martin could make. The goal was to set a speed with the concept car that would put the Bulldog on course to become the fastest production car ever. That goal was not achieved for two reasons: the intended speed was not achieved and the Bulldog never reached the series production stage. Only one was built.
The attempt, now more than 40 years ago, clocked a top speed of 306 km / h, while the aim was to reach at least 320 km / h. The Bulldog pulled its roughly 700 horsepower from a 5.3-liter V8 later used in the Lagonda, with in this case two turbos. That mid-mounted engine, in combination with the extremely sleek carriage, made in any case quite a showpiece of the Aston Martin. Still, the gentlemen standing close to the fire probably left a feeling of disappointment that they hadn’t reached the speed target. In 1981, shortly after the attempt, Victor Gauntlett became Aston Martin CEO. The story continues for more than 40 years with his son.
Gauntlett’s son Richard is the current owner of the Bulldog. After a few wanderings, interim restorations and adjustments, the Bulldog is again close to the circle of people from which it once emerged. Gauntlett has now decided that the Bulldog should be given a chance to attack the record of the time again. Classic Motor Cars in Bridgenorth has restored the Bulldog to the last screw for the past eighteen months on behalf of Gauntlett. The V8 has of course also been examined. Thus, the Bulldog should be able to go for it one more time and hopefully break the 200 mph limit this time. Aston Martin’s official test driver, Darren Turner, gets behind the wheel of the Bulldog to try this. Unfortunately, it is not yet known when it will happen, but we are in any case curious whether it will work now!