One of a kind Aston Martin Bulldog restored in Bridgnorth wins prestigious award

The Bulldog, restored in the UK By Classic Motor Cars (CMC), has become the youngest car ever to win the prestigious Coppa d’Oro award at the Concorso D’Eleganza at Ville D’ Este on the shore of Lake Como.

The trophy is one of two top awards and is voted for by other entrants to the competition.

More than more than 6,000 hours went into the restoration of the famous Aston Martin concept car which, when it was unveiled by Aston Martin in 1980, quickly became the stuff of legend for car fans around the world.

Only one car was ever built, and its futuristic design and v8 engine took it to 192mph, but not the 200mph that Aston Martin had planned.

In 1981, Aston Martin found itself in hard times and was forced to sell the car to a buyer in the middle East and the car disappeared from view

Two years ago, the car was found and purchased by car collector Philip Sarofim who asked Richard Gauntlett, the son of the former owner of Aston Martin, to manage the restoration of the car with the aim of reaching the 200mph it never did when it was built.

Phillip Sarofim said: “The win at Ville D’Este is a momentous occasion - to win such a prestigious and historic award on its first concours is a testament to CMCs incredible work and the wild vision of and engineering skill of Aston Martin.

"The next challenge is to get the car to 200mph, and we will do that later this year at a location which we will announce shortly."

Having finished its restoration, the Bulldog now sits in its original specification.

On November 26 last year, it won the RAC historic restoration of the year award.

The team at CMC researched the Bulldog's history and met the engineers that developed it to restore the car as accurately as possible, paying particular to attention to how it would have been in period.

Tim Griffin, the managing director of CMC, said: "The Italian award is a tribute to the team at CMC who will be over the moon about the win."