Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is bringing another highly successful year to a close with the delivery of its 150th vehicle. Mono #150 is the 29th elite Mono R model that the British company has handbuilt at its Liverpool headquarters. The ultra-driver-focussed single-seater roadgoing supercar marks another seminal moment in the brand’s illustrious history since its launch by founding brothers Neil and Ian Briggs in 2009, with the first Mono model arriving in 2011.
With the recent expansion of the innovative technology-driven company’s retail network to incorporate Germany, Singapore and Malaysia, BAC has rapidly scaled its global footprint and presence worldwide.
“Delivering the 150th Mono represents a highly significant milestone in our history. It is fitting that Mono #150 is an R, which represents the pinnacle of our engineering expertise. Seeing the car roll out of the door of our factory in Liverpool, in such an exquisite specification, was a very special moment for everyone at BAC,” commented BAC Co-Founder and Director of Product Development Neill Briggs.
“The delivery of Mono #150 marks the culmination of an incredible year and journey for our company, during which we have continuously evolved the design and developed the advanced technologies that lead the low-volume, high-performance automotive industry. We remain proudly British while embracing our transition to a truly global enterprise and family. Mono #150 stands testament to our passionate global customers, loyal workforce, world-leading suppliers and dedicated global retail network.”
Like every model the company builds, Mono #150 is a one-of-a-kind design created to its owner’s personal specification. The car sports a BAC bespoke livery affectionately entitled ‘Man in the (Satin) Mirror,’ featuring stunning digital metallic Satin Liquid Silver Paint with exposed satin carbon BAC logos. Unique ‘Highlighter Yellow details applied to the Mono R’s airbox, rear wing, wing mirrors, diffuser tips and nostril accents further amplify the potent visual impact. BAC’s design team worked with Julien to formulate a paint mix specific to the car to give an exceptional level of finish. A member of the design team then spent three days painstakingly masking the car by hand to ensure that the painted elements such as the ‘Highlighter Yellow’ technical specifications on the airbox translated onto the finished car with the utmost accuracy.
The car was commissioned by Hong Kong-based financier Julien Begasse de Dhaem. During the creative process, Julien liaised closely with BAC’s design team, working with BAC’s Bespoke Specialist, Daniel Youd to build on the company’s philosophies of form enhancing function and deploying ultra-thin surfaces to cloak a phenomenal driving machine. “It’s an honour to be a part of the history of the company, taking delivery of the 150th Mono. It’s a phenomenal looking machine and it was fantastic to be a part of the design process with the team at BAC”, summarised Julien.
Extra-terrestrial inspiration
“Like all of our customers, Julien immersed himself in the design process of the car’s livery, detailing and features through our BAC Bespoke Programme,” explained Youd. “To initiate the consultation process, we studied our Livery Style Boards, with Julien drawing particular inspiration from the sci-fi curation. With the main body finished in bespoke Satin Liquid Silver Metallic and the lower body in exposed matter carbon fibre, the ‘Man in the (Satin) Mirror’ livery represents one of the most visually arresting creations ever to leave our Liverpool factory and stands as a very fitting tribute to mark our 150th model milestone.”
To denote its status as the 29th Mono R built by BAC, the car features the number R29 subtly embedded in the centrally-mounted main beam light surrounds on the nose and on the rear arches. Julien also opted to display the number on the car’s rear wing in ‘Highlighter Yellow’ and outline the car’s technical specification on the side of the airbox.
Mono #150 features ultra-lightweight carbon hybrid wheels, utilising the world-first technology BAC developed in an exclusive collaboration with British high-performance wheel manufacturer Dymag. The ambitious project typifies BAC’s continuous drive to pioneer game-changing engineering solutions to every aspect of Mono and Mono R. The wheels’ lustrous bronze finish and Highlighter Yellow Mono logos complete the car’s bespoke exterior design package.
Inside, the diver-focussed feel of the cabin has been further augmented by the introduction of a made-to-measure carbon steering wheel featuring a Satin R logo. Designed specifically to provide Julien with perfect feel and control, the bespoke steering wheel typifies the no-holds-barred approach BAC consistently applies to fulfil each customer’s specific desires and needs. Contrast silver interior stitching on the seat and headrest logo and carbon side panels replete with R logo complete the interior design.
“Since we launched the company in 2009, the desire to offer our customers the most authentic and purest driving experience possible has gone hand-in-glove with our determination to deploy the very latest and most innovative motor-racing derived technologies and materials. To date, that philosophy has been expressed in its most distilled form in our Mono R, and it is fitting that Mono #150 is such a model,” continued Briggs.
“Equally paramount to our company DNA is the fact that no two vehicles that leave the factory will ever be the same. Our designers draw immense satisfaction and pleasure from collaborating with our customers to commission their unique creations. That was very much the case with Julien Begasse de Dhaem and his exceptional Satin Liquid Silver Mono R.”
Unparalleled critical acclaim
The delivery of Mono #150 culminates a remarkable year for the BAC brand, during which the specialist media had the opportunity to test drive the Mono R. The select outlets included Top Gear, which awarded the car an exceptional 9/10 rating and concluded its road test verdict with the highest possible praise: “If you want something that’s focused on driving to the exception of everything else – and yet rewards on so many levels – look no further.”
With its dry-sump 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated 342bhp engine, Formula 3-derived sequential six-speed transmission, exceptionally light 555kg dry weight (subject to options fitted) and ultra-agile chassis, the Mono R imperiously swept all opposition aside during Evo Magazine’s track test.
The Mono R proved the fastest car the magazine has ever tested around the Angelsey Circuit in North West Wales. With a phenomenal time of 1:06.9, the fully road-legal newcomer took the record previously set by its Mono sister model in 2016, crossing the line more than two seconds ahead of the third-place, track-only McLaren P1 GTR, which had the advantage of running on slick tyres.
Rapid emergence as a global player
With the appointment of Jolyon Nash as Strategic Advisor to the Board in October, BAC continued its ambitious global growth trajectory in 2022, bolstered by the company’s expansion into Germany, Singapore and Malaysia. This brings Mono’s export territories to a total of 48, with 90% of the company’s production accounted for by its extensive global retail network.
Looking with confidence towards the future, the company also unveiled its hydrogen-powered e-Mono concept, and in 2023 it has an exciting array of announcements in the pipeline certain to generate more headlines.
