One of the most well-known Aston Martins is the 1979 Bulldog Plan. Not because it was famous or a big deal for the company but because it was trendy in the 1980s and is still stylish today. In reality, the Bulldog was never made. The one-off idea was scrapped because it couldn’t hit the 200 mph top speed that was planned. After staying out of sight for more than 45 years, it has finished its job. It even went faster than Tuesday, when it reached 205.4 mph. This week, the UK company in charge of the repair, Classic Motor Cars Unlimited, said on Facebook that the car had broken at 200 mph at the Machrihanish airfield in Scotland. This follows the goals of the project leader, Richard Gauntlett, who is the son of the person who killed the Bulldog project in the 1980s. What a day! 205.4 MPH We were able to do it! In a Facebook post, the company said, “Congratulations from the bottom of our hearts to the entire Bulldog Team.” “After tens of thousands of hours of work by Classic Motor Cars Limited to repair and prepare it.” After more than 40 years of waiting, this car finally did what it was meant to do today on a runway in Scotland. What a group of people, and what a car! “I’d like to thank Philip Sarofim, who owns Bulldog, Darren Turner, who pushed the company to its limits, and Richard Gauntlet, who kept the idea going. CMC is very proud of you today!” Guantlett and the car’s present owner, Philip Sarofim, kept a close eye on CMC’s maintenance while the car was being fixed. It took a complete overhaul of every part of the car, including its interior and workings, while keeping the famous body intact. Even though the crew’s main goal was to reach the car’s top speed, they wanted to keep its body and spirit the same. As you might expect, bringing a 44-year-old car up to modern standards is not easy, and the job is made more complicated because the vehicle in question was created as a one-off. Because Aston only made a few of them, many parts had to be copied or remade. Also, driving 200 mph in a brand-new car, let alone an old one, is always scary. Because of this, it was essential to always think about safety. The planned goal speed for the Bulldog was 237 mph, but the Aston quickly realised that this would be very hard, if possible. It’s unclear how many top-speed tests it went through back then, but it only seemed to reach 191 mph, a long way from what was planned. The project was stopped when the goalpost was raised to 200 mph because the company had money problems. Even though 205.4 mph is less than 237 mph, it’s still amazing to see a car with such a unique past reach such a significant milestone.
