Photo: CMC
It’s been a full year now since Classic Motor Cars (CMC) announced it had begun restoration work on a strange machine called Aston Martin Bulldog. At the rate things are going, another one will probably have to pass until the car is ready to take on the challenge envisioned for it.
The Bulldog was an ambitious Aston Martin project born in 1979 with the single goal of showing the world that British cars can be driven really fast. 237 mph (381 kph) fast, that is, enough to make the Bulldog a king of its kind at the time.
Back in its day, the Bulldog failed to reach the milestone. It only hit 191 mph (307 kph) during testing in 1981. That wasn’t enough to land it the coveted title but was enough for the company’s higher-ups to decide it should be shut down.
A private company revived the idea was revived in 2020, but not as a vehicle to be later sold for profit, but as a car that will once again go for a high-speed run.
The restored Bulldog will be tasked with reaching 200 mph, with Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner behind the wheel. Not exactly the speed Aston was originally targeting, but a tad more than what the Bulldog actually achieved.
“Bulldog has been with us for nearly a year and in that time, we have carefully dismantled the car, meticulously recording every detail of its construction,” said in a statement Nigel Woodward, Managing Director at CMC.
"We have peeled back some of the later additions and modifications that had been carried out to the car after it left Aston Martin, and the process is now well underway to return the car to its former glory."
Officially, the reborn Bulldog's first run is planned for later this year, although no exact date has been announced. Although CMC initially said it would need 18 months to put it back together, saying the project is halfway there one year after it was first announced kind of puts it behind schedule.
Back in its day, the Bulldog failed to reach the milestone. It only hit 191 mph (307 kph) during testing in 1981. That wasn’t enough to land it the coveted title but was enough for the company’s higher-ups to decide it should be shut down.
A private company revived the idea was revived in 2020, but not as a vehicle to be later sold for profit, but as a car that will once again go for a high-speed run.
The restored Bulldog will be tasked with reaching 200 mph, with Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner behind the wheel. Not exactly the speed Aston was originally targeting, but a tad more than what the Bulldog actually achieved.
“Bulldog has been with us for nearly a year and in that time, we have carefully dismantled the car, meticulously recording every detail of its construction,” said in a statement Nigel Woodward, Managing Director at CMC.
"We have peeled back some of the later additions and modifications that had been carried out to the car after it left Aston Martin, and the process is now well underway to return the car to its former glory."
Officially, the reborn Bulldog's first run is planned for later this year, although no exact date has been announced. Although CMC initially said it would need 18 months to put it back together, saying the project is halfway there one year after it was first announced kind of puts it behind schedule.
Google News