Autoblog

First US-built BAC Mono headed to Cars & Coffee

Zach Bowman — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Specialty

Sector111 has announced it will unveil the first US-built BAC Mono at the upcoming Cars and Coffee in Irvine, California. The car was built from a knock-down kit, and Sectior111 says the company's allocation of 2012 Mono units has completely sold out. It's currently taking orders for 2013 models. As you may recall, the single-seat, street-legal racer tips the scales at a mere 1,190 pounds, and gets around your favorite track thanks to thrust from a 280-horsepower 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine worked up by the minds at Cosworth. If that sounds like a party to you, best head to Irvine tomorrow for a look.

A little over a year ago, BAC announced it was partnering with Sector111 to bring its heathen machine to our shores, albeit in very low numbers. The company shipped just 12 knockdown kits to the states. Check out the brief press release below, and be sure to tell us if you get to see the machine in the flesh.

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First US-built BAC Mono headed to Cars & Coffee originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAC Mono slithers around in the wet with Chris Harris

Zach Bowman — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Videos

Chris Harris has gotten his hands on the BAC Mono on a closed track. With 280 horsepower and a curb weight of just 1,190 pounds, the machine may very well be the king of the open-wheel, street-legal hooligans.

With the track wet enough to boast plenty of standing water, Harris gets a notion for just how controllable the Mono can be. The rest of us get to soak up plenty of shots of him sticking the tail out four our enjoyment. With the machine's gorgeous carbon fiber body work, exposed piston suspension geometry and angry vertical projector lenses ensure it won't be missed on public roads, either.

Harris isn't one for hyperbole, which makes his comments on the vehicle's dynamics all the more interesting. He says the BAC Mono is the best car he's ever driven in the wet. It certainly looks that way. You can check out the full clip below to see his impressions for yourself. Just be warned: he audio quality takes a dip when he mics up under his helmet.

Continue reading BAC Mono slithers around in the wet with Chris Harris

BAC Mono slithers around in the wet with Chris Harris originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAC Mono single-seat road car is "fan-bleeding-tastic"

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:03:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, UK, Specialty

Autocar's ex-racer scribe Steve Sutcliffe sat himself in the middle of the BAC Mono - which is the only place to sit, actually - and came away with a helmet full of glee. The £79,950 single-seater apparently drives just like an F3 car, an effect created in part by its 1,190-pound weight, 280-horsepower, four-cylinder Cosworth engine and its F3 suspension. Sutcliffe said it handles better than a Lotus Elise, which one might expect of a race car for the road, but that it also drives better, too.

Briggs Automotive Company is making 35 Monos this year, but they're all spoken for. Next year's run of 50 is also sold out. So while you wait for 2013 and a bunch of money to afford it, there's the video after the jump to keep you entertained. Another video you'll find there: Bjork's "All is Full of Love," which was said to have influenced the BAC Mono's design. That's what we call cool.

Continue reading BAC Mono single-seat road car is "fan-bleeding-tastic"

BAC Mono single-seat road car is "fan-bleeding-tastic" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAC Mono gets real. Real awesome.

Zach Bowman — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Specialty

BAC Mono - Click above for high-res image gallery

Maybe we watched too much A-Team when we were kids, but we just love it when a plan comes together. That's especially true when the plan involves an open-cockpit, single-seat racer like the BAC Mono. Designed specifically to put hardware like the KTM X-Bow, Ariel Atom and the whole Caterham bunch in their proper places, the Mono features a carbon fiber skin draped over a space-frame steel cell. The bodywork is slick as can be, but it pales in comparison to the fact that this beast is powered by a 2.3-liter Cosworth four-pot with 280 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque.

Considering the Mono tips the scales at a feathery 1,190 pounds, that should be more than enough pep to widen your eyes. ~~The sad part? Briggs Automotive Company is only planning to hem 35 examples of the Mono.~~ Of course, with a price tag of £67,000 pounds, we'd have more than a little trouble getting our hands on one even if we knew which palms to grease. BAC has been so kind as to release full specs on the machine as well as a volley of photos of the production model.

Delicious.

Hit the jump for the full read.

UPDATE: Following a communication with BAC, we've stricken the reference to the 35-example limit on Mono production, as the automaker has pointed out that is not the case.

Gallery: BAC Mono

[Source: BAC]

Continue reading BAC Mono gets real. Real awesome.

BAC Mono gets real. Real awesome. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAC Mono: Another Ariel Atom-fighting roadster in the UK

Jeff Glucker — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:02:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, UK, MISC

Sick and tired of getting pushed around by Ariel Atoms at your local track day? Briggs Automotive Company, who prefer the acronym BAC, are getting ready to produce the Mono. It's a carbon-fiber shell wrapped around a single-passenger steel cell.

The BAC Mono's 2.3-liter Cosworth four-cylinder engine makes 280-horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, and it's mated to a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox. Those power figures put it right in line with all non-V8-equipped Atoms. However, the BAC Mono weighs in at just 1,190 pounds - 160 pounds less than the Atom.

BAC plans to build just 35 examples of the Mono, and the first 10 are already spoken for. You better start saving your cash if you're interested because the Mono will cost you £67,000, or about $108,000 USD, before tax.

[Source: Jalopnik]

BAC Mono: Another Ariel Atom-fighting roadster in the UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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