| Aston Martin Bulldog | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Aston Martin |
| Production | 1979 (1 produced) |
| Assembly | Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Designer | William Towns |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car (S) |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | MR layout |
| Doors | Gullwing doors |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.3 L twin-turbocharged V8 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4724 mm (186 in) |
| Height | 1092 mm (43 in) |
Aston Martin Bulldog
The Aston Martin Bulldog, styled by William Towns, is a British, one-off concept vehicle produced by Aston Martin in 1979. The code name for the project was DP K901.[1] Initially, a production run of 15–25 cars was planned, but the project was deemed too costly and only one was built.
History
The Bulldog - named after a Scottish Aviation Bulldog aeroplane flown by Aston Martin's then managing director, Alan Curtis, but nicknamed "K9", after the robotic dog from the Doctor Who TV series[1] - was designed to show off the capabilities of Aston Martin's new engineering facility in Newport Pagnell, as well as to chase after the title of fastest production car in the world. The car was officially launched on 27 March 1980 at the Bell Hotel at Aston Clinton. Although the car was built in the UK, it is left-hand-drive. The Bulldog's sharp wedge shape was designed by William Towns.[1] The car has five centre-mounted, hidden headlamps and gull-wing doors. The interior is upholstered in leather with walnut trim[2] and uses multiple LED buttons like the Lagonda. Aston Martin planned to build 15-25 Bulldogs, but in 1981 Victor Gauntlett became chairman of the company and decided the project would be too costly, so the Bulldog project was shelved.[3] In 1984 Aston Martin sold the Bulldog to a middle eastern collector for £130,000. The owner added both rear view mirrors and cameras. The Bulldog later was sold to an American collector and spent some time in the United States; it was later in storage in different places.
It was shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2009, and at Aston Martin's 100th anniversary celebration at Kensington Park Gardens in July 2013.[1]
