The owners of the unique mid-engined Aston Martin Bulldog have released a video along with some details about their restored supercar. The team is looking forward to setting a speed record that the automaker itself never managed to set when it produced the Bulldog in 1979.
The car was destined to become the world’s fastest, but a number of reasons (understood to be largely technical and financial) prevented it from ever claiming that title. The company ended up building just one prototype that it later sold to a mysterious collector from the Middle East, never to be seen again.
In 2020, however, the car surfaced on sale. Phillip Sarofim bought it in the USA and contracted Classic Motor Cars UK for a full restoration assisted by Richard Gauntlett, son of Victor Gauntlett, who was the CEO of the company at the time.
The test run shown in the video took place on the Royal Naval airbase. Classic Motor Cars CEO Nigel Woodward drove the supercar and managed to take it to 270 km/h (around 168 mph). He said there was still potential to unlock in the build: among other things, the boost pressure was lower than nominal, the throttle valve only opened partially, and there was a powerful lateral wind. This and his own anxiety driving such a n expensive exotic prevented him from going even faster.
Back in the time, Aston Martin targeted the speed of 200 miles per hour, or 322 km/h, and this is what the tuners are going for now with the Bulldog.