September 21, 2015. Copyright 2015, Graphic News. All rights reserved

BAC Mono, a single-seat racing car which is public-road legal
By Neil Winton

LONDON, September 21, Graphic News:  You clamber on to then slide into the crazy-looking BAC Mono, which because it's a single-seat Formula 1 lookalike doesn't have doors, windows or a roof.

Once "inside", you are more or less lying down and the sides of the body press down on your shoulders. A bit more room disappears when you are handed the steering wheel which clips into place. The wheel doubles as the dashboard because all the information you are ever going to get is concentrated there. The mandatory helmet doesn't help if you feel a bit claustrophobic. "How on earth can I ever get out of this thing if there's a problem?" did cross my mind. "What happens when it starts to rain again?" was another negative thought on this late summer day in northwest England.

Press the starter button and the engine explodes into life just behind your head. Depress the clutch, engage a green button on the wheel with your left thumb and engage first gear with the flipper paddles on the right of the wheel, and off you go. A digital readout on the steering wheel tells you which gear you're in and your speed. As you go through the six-speed sequential gearbox you depress the clutch and press the right flipper. To come back down through the gears you depress the left flipper and clutch. The gears clunked into place noisily. The steering is very direct.

I was only able to drive this amazingly fast machine on public roads on the outskirts of Liverpool, where the car is made, so although speed limits restricted the test it did establish that this indeed is a road-going car, with headlights, rear lights and indicators.

The BAC Mono is a road-going sports car aimed at the super-rich. There's a special version designed to withstand attack from sea water while parked on your ocean-going yacht. It's small enough to fit into some private jets too.

I would have thought there was a limited market for a sports car with only one seat, but the ambitious Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) begs to differ. Not only that, the company says it has already sold out its production this year of 60 Monos and has orders for 200. It says the Mono won't compete against cars like top of the range Ferraris. On the contrary, it will be a complement to owners who probably already have a collection of conventional supercars.

The Mono is powered by a 2.5 litre four cylinder petrol engine producing just over 300hp and weighs 580kg. It's built with carbon fibre composite around a steel safety cell, designed to offer maximum safety with a steel rollover structure and a front carbon "crashbox".

BAC says the Mono lapped the Formula 1 circuit in Hungary seriously faster than a Porsche 911 GT3, a Ferrari Speciale and a McLaren P1. However, BAC says it's not just its barely imaginable performance that will compel rich buyers, but also the quality and precision of the engineering.
/ENDS

BAC Mono
Engine Ð 2.5 litre four-cylinder petrol
Power Ð 305hp @
Torque Ð 308 NM @
Drive Ð rear-wheels
Gearbox Ð 6-speed sequential
Acceleration Ð 0-60mph/100kph Ð 2.8 seconds
Top Speed Ð 170mph / 274kph
Fuel consumption Ð n/a
C02 Ð n/a
Emissions class Ð n/a  
Suspension Ð not where you'd expect it to be
Length Ð 3,952mm
Width Ð 1,836mm
Height Ð 1,110mm
Wheel-base Ð 2,565mm 
Weight Ð 580kg
Boot capacity Ð toothbrush, underwear
For Ð nothing faster around a track that is road legal
Against Ð nerves of steel required on the road 
Price from £125,000 before tax