Photo: CMC
For the duration of 2020, we were given crumbs leading to a major story: the Aston Martin Bulldog is making a comeback, with the help of the carmaker itself and a specialized shop called Classic Motor Cars (CMC).
The project was announced back in February 2020, when it was estimated it would be completed in about 18 months; that would mean we’ll get our first glimpse at the fully restored Bulldog sometime this fall. Soon after that, we’re to expect the car to make a run for the same record it chased 40 years ago.
The Bulldog was born in 1979 as a one-off project meant to take the British carmaker to new heights of success. To do that, something extraordinary was needed, and it was agreed that something should be, how else, speed.
The idea was to have the Bulldog top at 237 mph (381 kph), which should have made it the fastest production car in the world. It fell short of achieving that, reaching just 191 mph (307 kph) during testing in 1981, and then the plug on the project was pulled.
That means the restoration CMC is now talking about is more of a redo, the product of which will attempt to reach 200 mph (312 kph) sometime this year as we celebrate 40 years since that test run. Tasked with moving the needle to that mark is Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner.
“The car is well on the way to being restored and CMC will have it running by the end of the year. We will then attempt the record that never was. A critical part of this was finding the right driver for the job and someone that could get involved in overseeing the final elements of the project, in terms of set up and testing,” said in a statement Richard Gauntlett, the driving force behind the project.
“I am delighted that Darren Turner who has been an Aston Martin works and high-performance development driver for more than 15 years has agreed to join the team.”
The Bulldog was born in 1979 as a one-off project meant to take the British carmaker to new heights of success. To do that, something extraordinary was needed, and it was agreed that something should be, how else, speed.
The idea was to have the Bulldog top at 237 mph (381 kph), which should have made it the fastest production car in the world. It fell short of achieving that, reaching just 191 mph (307 kph) during testing in 1981, and then the plug on the project was pulled.
That means the restoration CMC is now talking about is more of a redo, the product of which will attempt to reach 200 mph (312 kph) sometime this year as we celebrate 40 years since that test run. Tasked with moving the needle to that mark is Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner.
“The car is well on the way to being restored and CMC will have it running by the end of the year. We will then attempt the record that never was. A critical part of this was finding the right driver for the job and someone that could get involved in overseeing the final elements of the project, in terms of set up and testing,” said in a statement Richard Gauntlett, the driving force behind the project.
“I am delighted that Darren Turner who has been an Aston Martin works and high-performance development driver for more than 15 years has agreed to join the team.”
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