Proof of concept

It was the spring of 1980. Bulldog was a fully functioning road car and the team was rightly proud, having designed and built most of it in our special projects workshop at Newport Pagnell, with help from others in the company when the pressure was on. Even the initial ‘big bits’ had been extensively re-worked.

Just a few days after the launch on 27 March, it was due to be tested by Autocar, Car, Motor and Road & Track magazines. We’d only had time to do a shakedown run at MIRA, in the rain, to make sure everything worked and the car was safe. The first test was at Mallory Park circuit, organised at the last minute because of permit problems with MIRA. Paul Frère of Road & Track, being based outside the UK, did not have a MIRA track permit, andCar magazine was not welcome there because of its cavalier use of pre-release pictures of new cars.

For insurance reasons I had to be present in the