BULLDOG TOPS 200MPH

The one-o Aston Martin Bulldog has finally achieved the mission it was built for, reaching 205.4mph on a runway in Scotland.

The work of renowned designer William Towns, with its twin-turbocharged 5.3-litre V8 engine producing 600bhp and its proposed 237mph top speed would have made it the fastest production car in the world when it debuted in 1980.

But while it did reach 192mph during testing at MIRA, the Bulldog was never quite able to top the magic 200mph mark.

Aston had originally planned to build 15 to 20 Bulldogs, but only one was ever completed, and after reputedly being sold in 1981 to a Middle Eastern prince, the car disappeared. It was recently discovered and purchased by renowned collector Philip Sarofim who had one goal: to see the car pass the double ton, just as Towns and Aston Martin’s then chairman, Victor Gauntlett, dreamed of.

In early 2020, the Shropshire-based specialist Classic Motor Cars was given the task of restoring the Bulldog which, under the supervision of Gauntlett’s son, Richard, took 18 months to complete. Although the painstaking rebuild secured the prestigious Coppa d’Oro“at the“2022 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este“in Italy, the real aim was always to top 200mph. It finally achieved this in early June at the hands of three-time Le Mans winner for Aston Martin, Darren Turner, at Machrihanish airfield, close to the town of Campbeltown on Scotland’s western coast.

“Bulldog’s 200mph goal has been over 40 years in the making, being part of that legacy is a fantastic feeling,” said Turner. “The Bulldog has now fulfilled Aston Martin’s Eighties promise and everyone who has worked on the car—from those who first designed and built it, to Classic Motor Cars who undertook the restoration under the management of Richard Gauntlett, can feel very proud.”

According to Turner, the conditions on the day were “perfect for the run” and the car performed perfectly too, “easily hitting the 200mph mark.”

Darren Turner with the Bulldog before his 205.4mph run