It took 45 years for a precious one-off built by Aston Martin in 1979 – the Bulldog – to reach the target of 200mph top speed (i.e. 322km/h) that was set for this supercar at the time of its development as project DP.K901 managed by Mike Loasby who had just left DeLorean.
The record was achieved at Machrihanish airfield, a former NATO base at Campbeltown in Scotland.
Part of a program of 15-20 units, which should have responded to the dominance of the Italian super sports cars of the time, the Bulldog was designed precisely to be the fastest production car on the road, using a powerful 600cc twin turbo V8 engine Cv derived from the unit that the Polish engineer Tadek Marek had created for Aston Martin.
Despite posting a top speed of 191 mph (307 km/h) on the Motor Industry Research Association (Mira) test track in late 1979, the Bulldog never broke the 200-mile limit.
The post-1979 recession intervened to interrupt the adventure of this angular but fascinating supercar, which affected the sales of the brand so much as to force the president Alan Curtis and the shareholders Peter Sprague and George Minden to plan the closure of the company first. And then to entrust the intervention of Victor Gauntlett, co-owner since 1980 with 10% of the shares and author of a recovery plan – it is the final turning point in the history of this car – which no longer included the Bulldog.
A long introduction, this, which allows us to understand the historical value of the only example built and therefore the great satisfaction for those who, now, have brought it back to life and made it pass the 200-mile milestone. The car had started making headlines again in 2020 when new Aston Martin owner Philip Sarofim asked Richard Gauntlett – Victor’s son – to handle the restoration.
The Bulldog was thus entrusted to Classic Motor Cars Ltd in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, a company which has restored some of the world’s most important historic cars. The work lasted 18 months, involving 7,000 hours of restoration and hundreds of hours of testing and adjustments. “Thanks to the hard work of the CMC team, the Aston Martin Bulldog has made it – exclaimed after the conquest of the fateful 200 mph Tim Griffin, managing director of Classic Motor Cars – The people of Campbeltown were very welcoming and encouraging with us, and are delighted to have given them the opportunity to see the car and meet Darren” evidently alluding to Aston Martin works driver Darren Turner.
Phillip Sarofim, owner of the Aston Martin Bulldog and son of Texan billionaire Fayez Sarofim, said: “Today is about realizing the dreams, the dreams of the original designers and engineers who created the Bulldog. Those automotive pioneers were breaking the barriers, not only those related to speed, but also the frontiers of design, innovation and engineering”.
Source: Ansa
I am an author at Global happenings and I mostly cover automobile news. In my time working in the automotive industry, I have developed a keen interest in the latest developments and trends. My writing skills have also allowed me to share my knowledge with others through articles and blog posts.
