Shropshire, UK – The Aston Martin Bulldog supercar, which the company built to become the world’s fastest production car, has visited HMS Prince of Wales, the UK’s largest warship, just weeks before the car is due to use a Royal Naval airfield to start testing and ultimately reach the 200 mph it never did.
In 1980 Aston Martin built the car and planned that it should become the fastest production car ever, running at 200 mph. But it fell short at just 191mph. Due to financial constraints the project was axed.
Now following an 18-month total nut and bolt restoration, which saw technicians at Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, spend more than 6,000 hours working on the car, it is to make the attempt with the help of the Royal Navy.
Monday morning November 8th saw some unusual activity at a berth in the Royal Navy dockyard at Portsmouth in Hampshire. A massive crane was manoeuvred into position alongside the aircraft carrier to enable the Aston Martin Bulldog to be put on the flight deck of the 65,000-ton ship.
In September the car was unveiled by two Royal Naval apprentices at the Royal Concours at Hampton Court with the assistance of the Corp of Drums of the Royal Marines after it had been agreed that the car would carry out its initial testing at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.
It was then agreed that between these activities the car should visit the carrier, which has just returned from sea trials where its F35 Lightning stealth fighters landed on the flight deck for the first time. She is now ready for operations worldwide
HMS Prince of Wales is one of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. Her flight deck is 280 metres long – enough for three football pitches – and she holds 45 days’ worth of food in her stores. She will have a crew complement of around 700 increasing to 1,600 with her aircraft on board.
The massive ship can embark 36 F-35B fighters and four Merlin helicopters although can she support up to 70 fighter aircraft.
HMS Prince of Wales is the second Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, the first being HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is currently on her way back to the UK after global operations.
Last week, supported by dock engineers and crane operators with the ministry defence police on the quayside and on seaborne patrol around the ship, the crew made ready to welcome her latest visitor.
The car was put into a specially constructed sling, which lifted the car to one of two aircraft lifts, which take fighters and helicopters from a massive hanger up to the flight deck. There were some nail-biting moments as the car was swung into the air, but it was soon on board, on the flight deck and driving to a photo position alongside the forward bridge of the carrier.
As the crew changed shift more and more came up to look at the car as it paraded on the deck a meeting of the most advanced military technology of the day with cutting edge automotive engineering from 1981.
For Richard Gauntlett, the son of former Chairman of Aston Martin Victor Gauntlett, and the team at Classic Motor cars in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, who restored the car, it was a proud moment. Richard Gauntlett said: “The car was built at a time of great adversity and has been restored in a time of great adversity.”
Nigel Woodward, Managing Director at CMC said: “This really was one British engineering icon meeting another. It was a fantastic moment for the staff at CMC to see the car on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales after all their hard work.”
The car stayed on board overnight and under guard before being visited by members of the CMC team who had restored the car, Richard Gauntlett with his mother and sister, and members of the media.
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