Aston Martin Tried To Forget This Monster Ever Existed

Aston Martin built a 200mph monster in 1979, came up nine miles an hour short, and then did everything it could to pretend the car had never existed. It was sold off for scrap money, repainted, retrimmed, and lost for four decades. Nobody could agree on where it went. The Bulldog was Aston Martin's answer to Ferrari and Lamborghini — a wedge drawn by William Towns, engineered by Mike Loasby, and codenamed DP K901 before the factory nicknamed it K9 after the robot dog from Doctor Who. Gullwing doors, five hidden headlights, and a 5.3 litre V8 running twin Garrett turbochargers for over 700 horsepower. At MIRA in 1980 it hit 191mph, beating the Ferrari 512 BB, and still wasn't enough. Victor Gauntlett shelved the programme in 1981 and sold the only car ever built to a Middle Eastern buyer for £130,000. Forty years later his son Richard, with collector Phillip Sarofim, tracked it down and handed it to Classic Motor Cars in Shropshire. In June 2023, on a Scottish airfield, Darren Turner finally took it to 205.4mph. Should Victor Gauntlett have found a way to save the Bulldog, or was killing it the only sane call? ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 - The car they buried 0:26 - Bankrupt and still dreaming 1:29 - The wedge they called K9 3:18 - Nine miles an hour short 5:16 - Sold to a stranger 6:35 - Repainted and vanished 7:44 - Forty three years late We are not historians. We just love cars. If you spot an error in our research, please tell us in the comments. Footage and images are used under fair dealing / fair use for the purposes of commentary, criticism, and historical education. All rights remain with their respective owners.