Aston that never left the grid

Aston that never left the grid

Nov 9 2009 Ian Johnson

Aston that never left the grid

IN THE mid 1970s Aston Martin had American owners and the company had some very radical ideas over design. Of course the classic V8 design was there pumping out the power, but the factory was feeling the wind of change.

Firstly there was the Aston Martin Lagonda, a futuristic view of luxury car travel. In truth it looked like something off Thunderbirds and many of the posh set said a polite 'no.'

Then there was the most amazing design ever to have come from the company's drawing board. Only one Aston Martin Bulldog was built and it was intended to demonstrate the ability of the factory to produce a supercar for the 1980's. William Towns styled it soon after finishing the AM Lagonda, continuing his ultimate wedge shaped look.

Initial engineering work was carried out by the company's chief engineer, Mike Loasby who later moved to work for the ill-fated DeLorean company in 1979.

The Bulldog was finished off by Keith Martin and its development was strongly backed by Aston Martin boss Alan Curtis who named the car after a plane that he flew. But in the factory it was called K-9 after Dr. Who's robot dog.

This one-off testbed had been intended to be the forerunner of a limited run of about 25 cars. It is a left-hand-drive car featuring an an incredibly low height of 1.1m and a sharply defined Trapezium shaped body.

Design features include centre-mounted five hidden headlamps, gull-wing doors and digital instrumentation . Power came from a 5.3-litre twin-turbo V8 delivering more than 600bhp. In 1979 the Bulldog was test driven and achieved a verified top speed of 191mph. But, it was said that the Bulldog could go much faster, some claims stating more than 220mph.

Its split rim alloy wheels were fitted with blades around the circumference. Not for aesthetics, but to direct cool air to the brakes to ensure they remained reliable at high speeds, an idea taken up later on the race circuit.

When AML changed hands in 1981, the new Chairman, Victor Gauntlett considered the company had more pressing problems and the Bulldog was sold off. In the hands of its various owners the car has undergone many changes. one owner even added a reversing camera.

I firmly believe that the jury is still out over the Bulldog's looks. It divided the experts like few other cars ever have.

My view is that like so many other ideas of the 1970s it was ahead of its time and somewhat underdeveloped. Compared to today's supercars, its 0-60mph sprint of 5.2 seconds might be a little pedestrian, but if the company had taken it to heart it might have shown the Italians a thing or two.

It was a feat of engineering that may not have taken off but had the potential of being a Great British supercar.