Rare Aston Martin Concept Heads to Pebble Beach

The name William Towns is associated mostly closely with the Lagonda in Aston Martin circles, even though he was also responsible for the earlier DBS and its four-door versions. But Towns also designed the equally angular Bulldog one-off concept, which took the wedge theme even further while promising a top speed of 237 mph.

A speed north of the 200-mph mark was not reached at the time of the Bulldog's debut, but only recently, after Aston Martin Works driver Darren Turner took it to 205.4 mph in Campbeltown, Scotland, in June 2023.

But this feat was merely one of the steps in a multi-year restoration of the Bulldog by Classic Motor Cars in the UK, which has been completed after 7000 hours, with the concept next headed to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The Bulldog was developed as an engineering showcase, with Aston Martin setting out to prove not only its luxury credentials but its engineering expertise. Despite being intended to reach a 237-mph top speed, the Bulldog only managed to hit 191 mph during testing at MIRA in the UK before testing ended.

The car then largely vanished from sight, only popping up sporadically every once in a while.

"The Bulldog became something of a mythical beast, lots of people knew about it and wondered where it was after it was sold by Aston Martin to an owner in the Middle East. It then disappeared from general view," Project Manager Richard Gauntlett said in 2021.

"There were sightings all over the world. In the late 1980’s it was spotted in a lock up in Arizona, it was back in the Middle East in the 1990’s but it was RM Sotheby’s who tracked it down in Asia."

The Bulldog was acquired by American car collector Philip Sarofim in 2020 after some lengthy negotiations with the seller, and time had certainly taken its toll on the car by then, which had been repainted at some point and had gained some third-party hardware. The restoration team carefully removed the various modifications the car had acquired over the years in the restoration process, using factory documentation to restore it to its original appearance.

"Overall we want to keep the original engineering architecture and appearance of the car," Nigel Woodward, managing director of Classic Motor Cars, said at the start of the restoration.

The 5.3-liter V8 supercar's nut-and-bolt restoration at Classic Motor Cars was overseen by Richard Gauntlett, the son of Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett, while the eight-person restoration team was headed by Nigel Woodward and workshop director Tim Griffin.

The Bulldog achieved 205.4 mph in June 2023, after a prior test run earlier in the shakedown process that saw it hit 162 mph at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton in Somerset.

It remains to be seen whether the car will attempt to set another personal best in the states, perhaps with the aid of more advanced tires in the future. But it's clear that its wedge shape has already given it very favorable aerodynamics, with a twin-turbo V8 paired with a five-speed manual providing north of 600 hp.

The Bulldog's appearance at Pebble will mark its return to its owner after the years-long restoration process and appearances at overseas concours events.

"We are proud and privileged to have restored Bulldog and it is a testament to the team in Bridgnorth that this was acknowledged with three major awards: RAC Restoration of the year, the Coppa d’Oro award at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Ville D’ Este and The Victor Gauntlett Trophy which was awarded to the team by the Aston Martin Owners Club," said Tim Griffin, Managing Director of Classic Motor Cars.

Would the Bulldog have been a financial success in the 1980s had Aston Martin produced it for customers? Let us know what you think in the comments below.