Joining the ranks of the Ariel Atom, Caterham and Lotus is the Briggs Automotive Company's (BAC) Mono. In the search for ultimate weight saving, BAC has ditched the passenger seat and the Mono earns its name by giving just a single place for the driver.
Aimed squarely at the track day market, the Mono will still be road legal and comes with headlights and indicators. A windscreen, however, is not on the options list.
What is standard, though, is a 280bhp 2.3-litre Cosworth-tuned engine. It revs to 7,700rpm and drives through a six-speed sequential gearbox borrowed from a Formula 3 racer. Tipping the scales at just 540kg, the Mono cracks 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of 170mph.
Keeping the weight down is an all-carbon fibre body that is wrapped around a race-legal roll cage. Race-spec suspension and brakes are also part of the standard package.
BAC expects to sell around 50 cars per year, with 10 orders already taken. The Mono is only being sold in the UK at present with a price tag of £79,950.
Alisdair Suttie - 15 Mar 2011