| Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Limited | |
| Type: | Private |
| Location City: | Liverpool |
| Location Country: | United Kingdom |
| Industry: | Automotive |
| Num Employees: | 30 (2021) |
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) Limited[1] is a British car manufacturer that created Mono, a road-legal sports car with only one seat. BAC is based in the city of Liverpool, United Kingdom,[2] Mono cars are exported to 47 countries.[3]
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) was founded by brothers Neill (Director of Product Development) and Ian Briggs (design director) in 2009. The Briggs brothers consulted for car brands including Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley and Ford on design and engineering projects, until they decided to expand their creative potential with a product from scratch.
The result was the BAC Mono, a lightweight, single-seater, open-top, road-legal sports car.
The first BAC Mono was produced in 2011[4] and made its inaugural public appearance at the Retro Classics show in Stuttgart, Germany.
| BAC Mono | |
| Manufacturer: | Briggs Automotive Company |
| Production: | 2011–present |
| Layout: | RMR |
| Motor: | Fuel-cell powered (Mono FCEV) |
| Transmission: | 6-speed sequential transmission |
| Wheelbase: | 2565mm |
| Length: | 3952mm |
| Width: | 1800mm |
| Height: | 1110mm |
| Weight: | 540kg (1,190lb) (2011–2015) 580kg (1,280lb) (2015–present) |
| Sp: | uk |
The first iteration of the BAC Mono was originally powered by a Ford Duratec 2.3-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, heavily modified by Cosworth, to produce 280bhp at 7,700 rpm.[5] [6] It is mounted longitudinally and mated to an electronically controlled, paddle-shift, six-speed sequential Hewland transmission with a limited-slip differential.
The Mono weighs 540kg (1,190lb), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 518 bhp per tonne. It delivered performance figures of in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 170mph.[7] BAC aimed for an equal weight distribution, 48/52 front/rear, and as low of a centre of gravity as possible when designing the Mono.
The car was constructed in carbon fibre with a tubular steel driver safety cell, complete with an FIA-compliant rollover protection system - similar in concept to a DTM race car. The rose-jointed, aero-profiled pushrod suspension featured adjustable dampers that can be altered based on driving on either the road or track.
The Mono's design is said to be inspired by a science fiction aesthetic and also the robot in Bjork's music video for the song "All Is Full of Love".[8]
In 2015, the Cosworth engine was replaced by a 2.5-litre Mountune Racing unit developing 305bhp at 8,000 rpm. There were a number of further improvements under the skin to optimise performance, while wider chassis allowed for more room for the driver in the cockpit. The 2015 model year BAC Mono weighed 580 kg, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 525 bhp per tonne.
| BAC Mono R | |
| Manufacturer: | Briggs Automotive Company |
| Production: | 2019-present |
| Powerout: | 343bhp |
| Engine: | 2.5 L Mountune Duratec I4 |
| Weight: | 555kg (1,224lb) |
| Transmission: | 6-speed sequential transmission |
On 4 July 2019, BAC launched the limited-edition BAC Mono R at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Mono R is a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the original BAC Mono. The Mono R is 38bhp more powerful and 25 kg lighter than the standard Mono, at 343bhp and 555 kg which equates to a power-to-weight ratio of 618abbr=onNaNabbr=on.
Although still resembling the Mono, the R has had all surfaces designed from scratch with 44 bespoke carbon parts restyled to give the car a more aggressive, organic, and futuristic stance.
The new look of Mono R is defined by the shark nose front. The main beam LED headlights centrally mounted on the nose reduce the frontal area and contributes to a more minimalist appearance.
The Mono R's sleeker and tighter appearance has been achieved by reductions in visible mass across the full body; there has also been a 20 mm reduction in overall height and a 25 mm increase in length over the standard Mono.[18]
The Mono R's 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine, co-developed with long-standing engine partner Mountune, has power increased by 38 bhp over the Mono to deliver . Starting with the Ford Duratec engine, BAC and Mountune increased the cylinder bore size and reduced the new billet crankshaft stroke to optimize power and torque delivery and increased the redline from 7,800 rpm to 8,800 rpm.
The new Formula-inspired ram-air inlet system provides pressurized air into an all-new throttle body and cylinder head system to further increase power, plus a higher-spec, drive-by-wire motor allows for quicker throttle response. As a result, the bespoke Mountune engine now offers a specific output of 137abbr=onNaNabbr=on.[19]
Mono R is the first production car in the world fully incorporating the use of graphene-enhanced carbon fibre in every body panel. Using the revolutionary material enhances the structural properties of the fibre to make panels stronger and lighter, increasing toughness and improving thermal properties.[20]
The company's latest world first came as a result of a successful APC-funded Research & Development project into the production-readiness of graphene. The technology is now in full series production.
In 2022, the company announced a feasibility study into the use of hydrogen in powering the Mono, alongside clean tech company Viritech.[21] The e-Mono study integrated a fuel cell powertrain into an existing Mono chassis, whilst minimising added weight. This resulted in the e-Mono completing a simulated lap of Silverstone Circuit 2 seconds faster than the combustion-engined Mono R.[22] [23] [24]
BAC is known for its research and development into lightweight automotive technology, especially for the use of graphene in the car body.[25]
Combining graphene within carbon fibre enhances the structural properties of carbon to result in fewer sheets being needed to meet functional performance targets. With BAC Mono and Mono R panels, the addition of graphene ensured panels required two sheets of carbon fibre, rather than three.
A panel set that weighed 41 kg before the use of graphene weighed 32 kg after use of graphene.
In 2020, BAC was awarded UK Government funding to undertake its latest nano element R&D project, exploring the use of niobium in the structure of BAC Mono. The project is sponsored by CBMM, a manufacturer of niobium products.[26]
BAC founded the Mono Owners' Club in 2018.[27]