Miguel Sánchez
ASTON MARTIN BULLDOG PHOTOS: ASTON MARTIN / CMC
Nobody doubts about the importance of Aston Martin. One of the great sports brands of all history, which has been at the forefront of British motorsport since 1913. However, the truth is that it has gone through good and bad times from an economic point of view. One of the good times was its purchase by David Brown after WWII. But one of the bad news was its sale in 1972.
Right there, Aston Martin began its particular journey through the desert until in 1987 Ford took control of the brand. A control exercised until 2007 by its subsidiary Premier Automotive Group, the year in which the Americans sold this English icon to a consortium with a significant Kuwaiti presence. Beyond what the founders of the brand might think about these processes, the truth is that this financial carousel did not help Aston Martin to be at the level of Ferrari or Lamborghini.
In fact, just in the attempt to do so, one of the most interesting seventies prototypes was born: the aston martin bulldog. Conceived to demonstrate that the British brand could reach a top-of-the-line level of performance, this groundbreaking design heralded the purpose of marking heart-stopping points. However, the cancellation of the project in 1981 he put everything on hold. Now, almost four decades later, the restorer CMC He plans to take the Bulldog to the benefits for which it was intended. Will they get it?
ASTON MARTIN BULLDOG: A HIT OF EFFECT
As we have said, in the mid-seventies Aston Martin was not going through its best moment. Even with the DBS and V8, the golden days of the DB4 and DB5 were already history, and also the accounting did not balance satisfactorily. At that point, there were only two possible options left. On the one hand, the brand could be devalued to house a relatively accessible sports range. That option was attractive, but it also brought an irreparable loss to Aston Martin's reputation.
On the other hand there was the upward chopping, showing that the English could play in the same performance league as the Italian supercars. This route was quite risky both financially and technically, but it was chosen by the desperate managers at the helm of Aston Martin. Now, how to translate this approach? Because with a model that would be a complete coup. In that sense, and endowed with a radical design and amazing mechanics, the Aston Martin Bulldog appeared in 1979.
The lines conceived by the designer William Towns announced a model designed to be seen from one to one with the Countach y 512BB, but nevertheless there were still many tests ahead. For this, a 8-liter V5, whose key was the two Garrett turbochargers capable of increasing power to 3CV. All this situated, for the first time in the history of the brand, in a central position. Outcome? An approach that could make the Aston Martin Bulldog the biggest supercar of the moment.
A RESTORATION TO RETURN TO THE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL
Despite all that we have said above, the truth is that the Aston Martin Bulldog never saw series production. And what's more, it did not complete the tests where it was expected to beat the more than 320 km / h of top speed. However, this stoppage did not come from a lack of technological potential, but rather from a change of course in the direction of the company. Affected by a crisis that was on the verge of closing the assembly lines, the company's management decided to cancel the project in 1980.
A decision marked by reality; by financial inability to compete with higher-end brands, making it impossible to manufacture supercars like the Bulldog, of which only a circulation of 25 units was expected under the best forecasts. Thus, the prototype was sold in 1982 to a private collector. However, almost forty years later, this racing car is back in topicality thanks to the ambitious restoration carried out by CMC.
A restoration that not only tries to restore splendor to the model, but also to be able to confirm whether this car could really have been one of the fastest of its time. Including new parts but always respecting the original architecture of the car, those responsible for the project announce that they will carry out the speed tests planned for 1981, canceled due to the end of the Bulldog project. They will continue exactly how Gaydon's mark left him.
That is when we will see if, had we tried just a little more, Aston Martín would have been able to look one more time from you to you with Ferrari and Lamborghini.
