The Bulldog is one of those weird concepts that came out of the 1970s-1980s. The Aston Martin mid-engined supercar was designed to hit 320 km/h, but the one-of-one concept never quite hit its goals.
However, the only existing example has now been restored, and was spotted recently on the streets of London.
It seems the car keeps good company too, as it was spotted next to a Zagato-styled Bentley Continental GT and a Bizzarrini 5300GT Strada.
But it was the Bulldog that captured the most attention, with its angular design looking unlike anything else (well... other than perhaps the low-res car or the Tesla Cybertruck).
The Bulldog was kitted out with a 5.3-litre Aston Martin V8 engine with twin Garrett turbochargers, which was nothing to scoff at in its heyday. Rumours at the time talked of power figures reaching 700 horsepower, though the engine was typically run at a lower 600 horsepower figure for the sake of reliability.
At testing, the Bulldog didn't quite reach its 320 km/h goal, probably due to the hefty weight of 1750 kg. An attempt in 1980 at the MIRA test track hit just over 300 km/h, reportedly running with just 400 hp.
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Aston Martin claimed at the time that the car could in theory reach 381 km/h running at full steam, but the concept was canned shortly after when Victor Gauntlett purchased the cash-strapped company in 1981.
The Bulldog changed hands a few times after this, but eventually ended up with Victor's son, Richard Gauntlett, who restored it.
The car now appears as though it's running really well, with its powered gullwing doors and folding headlight shroud in operating condition.
The restoration was completed by Classic Motor Cars in Bridgenorth, and now Gauntlett is keen to have the Bulldog finally achieve its original goal of hitting 320 km/h, with none other than Aston Martin Racing driver Darren Turner behind the wheel.
