It would take until 1978 for Aston Martin to genuinely
register a positive company result since its inception
by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin in 1913.
Much had
changed during the intervening years, including the amalgamation
of Lagonda in 1947 under the leadership of David Brown.
But by 1978 the future of the marque looked much better
than it ever had, and so Company Director Alan Curtis
gave the green light for the construction of a prototype
– a car that would serve as a symbol of the marques
quest to look to the future and demonstrate innovation
like no other.
A grandiose plan indeed, one that would take two years
from conception to production, and one that would create
arguably the ugliest Aston of all time, the aptly named
“Bulldog”.
The design was the work of stylist
William Towns, who had penned all Astons sine the wonderful
DB6; and the Bulldog was not without innovation, it
being the first ever mid-engined Aston.
The car bore
a strong resemblance to the 1976 Lagonda, but featured
even flatter and squared-off angles.
The Bulldog was powered by the wonderful Aston Martin
V8, with additional turbo-compressors supplied by
Garrett.
Aston would never reveal the cars actual
power output, but it is rumored to have developed
600bhp at 6500rpm, and been good for a top speed of
over 325 km/h.
Naturally Astons reluctance to release official power
figures started the rumor mill working, a common thought
being that the development was only undertaken after the
project was underwritten by a wealth Sheik from the Middle
East.
Apparently the Sheik never took delivery, it being sold
to another wealthy businessman in the Emirates. Whoever
he is, he remains the lucky owner of the only Bulldog
to have ever been built!