This Aston Martin accelerated from a standing start to 330 km/h in 44 years

This is the Aston Martin Bulldog. The study model from 1979 was originally supposed to be built in a limited edition, but was shot down by the management at the time. The Bulldog only reached the promised top speed of more than 200 mph (321 km/h) 44 years later.

The Bulldog was supposed to be the fastest production car in the world. With this in mind, Aston Martin developed the wedge-shaped sports car. The typical 70s look was penned by William Towns, who also drew the cartoonish Lagonda.

Aston Martin Bulldog was recovered in 2020

Aston Martin planned to produce a maximum of 25 Bulldogs, but when Victor Gauntlett became the automaker’s president in 1981, he abandoned the plan. It was too expensive, he thought.

Three years later, Aston Martin sold the Bulldog prototype to a Middle Eastern collector. He installed outside mirrors. After being owned by an American for a while, the car disappeared. The Bulldog was found in a camp somewhere in Asia in early 2020.

Goal finally achieved after 44 years

The current owner has had it completely restored with the aim of finally reaching the ‘record speed’ of over 200 mph (321 km/h). In 2021 – during a first test drive at a military airport – the Bulldog already reached 161 mph (260 km/h).

It was announced this week that the Aston Martin has finally reached its goal. On a test track in Scotland, driver Darren Turner reached just over 205 mph (approx. 330 km/h).

Eight-cylinder with two turbos and more than 600 hp

At the rear of the Bulldog is a 5.3-liter, twin-turbo V8 that produces 608 hp and 678 Nm. When the sports car was introduced, Aston Martin announced that it should easily reach 237 mph (381 km/h).

In practice this is not the case, but 330 km/h is still an incredibly impressive top speed. The bulldog can definitely keep up with a modern Valkyrie.