A restored Aston Martin Bulldog hits 162mph during a test drive.

In 1980, Aston Martin built a one-off concept car, the Bulldog, with the goal of exceeding 200 mph. However, when the car came close to reaching 191 mph, the company's new chairman canceled the program.

Two years ago, Philip Sarofim acquired the car and commissioned Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England, to restore it to meet and exceed the 200 mph goal.

Ironically, the restoration work involved Richard Gauntlett, whose father, Victor, stepped on the brakes as Aston Martin's new chairman in 1981.

Recently, Classic Motor Cars was awarded the Restoration of the Year trophy by the Royal Automobile Club, and a few days later, the Bulldog got up to speed for the first time, with a shakedown at the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton, Somerset It reached 162 mph in a sprint.

"To see this car run like this after 40 years is a dream come true," Richard Gauntlett said in a news release from Classic Motor Cars. I grew up with this car and had a poster of it on my bedroom wall."

Nigel Woodward, managing director of Classic Motor Cars, was behind the wheel of the Bulldog during the shakedown run.

"There is still a lot of work to be done, but Saturday's session not only validated the car but provided a lot of very useful data," he said.

"With the boost down and on partial throttle, we went 160 mph in just 3/4 of a mile. I couldn't have gone faster because I wasn't brave enough and I was still evaluating the car."

The plan is still to test drive the car again at the Naval Air Station this year or early in 2022 before attempting the 200 mph goal set more than 40 years ago.

This article, written by Larry Edsall, originally appeared on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.