Up next in 10
Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche... They don't stand a chance against BAC Mono R, the purest definition of a race car for the road. To see just how fast it is, we sent Steve Sutcliffe to Anglesey circuit.
Read our review of the BAC Mono R at the link below, and don't forget to buy your copy of evo from www.evo-shop.co.uk (because that's what pays the bills to make these films).
https://www.evo.co.uk/bac/mono-r
And follow us on our social channels at:
https://twitter.com/evomagazine
https://facebook.com/evomagazine
https://www.instagram.com/officialevomagazine/
https://www.tiktok.com/@evomagazine?
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
The BAC Mono is an exquisite creation designed purely for the purpose of driving enjoyment
0:27
Conceived by the Briggs brothers from Liverpool and made unashamedly in Great Britain
0:32
it's arguably the most focused road car money can buy. It's also very, very quick
0:40
In standard guise, the Mono is the fastest road car we've ever timed round Anglesey
0:45
by over two seconds. But this new R version has a bit more power, a bit less weight
0:51
and theoretically even more speed to unleash. It really is absolutely nothing else like a BAC Mono
1:19
This Mono R, I mean, it still feels fundamentally like that original car
1:24
but it's just taken the game to another level in terms of performance, in terms of cost for sure
1:32
It's about £215,000 this car. But there's nothing else like it. Well they say it's got 342 horsepower but this thing back here, up there
1:43
that's producing a kind of ram air effect at speed and they reckon they get another 7 or 8 horsepower out of it
1:49
So let call it a nice round 350 horsepower It weighs 555 kilograms dry so still comfortably under 600 kilograms ready to go
2:04
Not with me in it but that's a lot of power for that much weight. It's not a crazy amount of power
2:10
for that much weight. That was always, you know, absolute nutcase straight line performance was
2:16
never the Mono's USP. It was always about the beautiful balance between power, between
2:24
suspension refinement. This is effectively a Formula 3 car, except it's way more sophisticated
2:30
than a Formula 3 car, but it's kind of gizzards and the way the transmission is designed and
2:36
mated to the engine out the back, the double wishbone suspension all round. It's all really
2:42
high-end single-seater technology in this car. Then you made it to a set of reasonably
2:50
tricked P0 tyres, which aren't actually that good because they're not set up for a car
2:54
that weighs as little as this, which is why I'm going to try it on the slicks and we're
2:58
going to time it on the slicks. It's about precision, it's about accuracy, it's about
3:06
snap of turn in response, how late you can brake, how soon you can get on the throttle
3:12
The traction in this thing is off the dial. The speed this thing has got is off the dial
3:21
So before we get the stopwatch out, BAC's Ian Briggs explained to me about how and why it's been improved
3:28
This is the new generation car. We've launched the new generation with mono R
3:32
It's a completely new car. There's almost nothing the same. I'm racking my brains trying to pick something
3:38
But so the chassis is new, the suspension, all the geometry is new
3:41
more anti-dive, more anti-squat. The wishbones themselves are all much more aerodynamic tubing
3:48
I mean it goes on and on and on really I mean from the chassis out just behind your feet into just behind the driver yeah is actually a steel structure right it tested to f1 regulations for for roll protection
3:59
and side impact and things and around that is this carbon graphene body with the first manufacturer
4:05
to do that so just a comparison we save nine kilograms on the bodywork going to graphene
4:10
44 body panels and everyone's new the gearbox is the hueland ftr it's the same gearbox as this car
4:16
but it's with a magnesium case. Of course, new ratios because it revs to 9,000 RPM
4:21
the normally aspirated engine. Titanium exhaust, magnesium bell housing. It's actually got 3D printed inlet runners
4:29
So again, one of the first production cars to use carbon fiber reinforced 3D printed inlet runners
4:34
So we're using plastic runners to support the airbox. Compared to the car you drove
4:38
it's about a 40 kilogram weight improvement over that generation car. That already had things like carbon brakes
4:45
carbon wheels which had already saved weight over the car you drove so i'm going to say
4:50
compared to the car you drove 10 years ago it's about 60 kilos lighter and it's about 70 horsepower
4:55
more but still fundamentally the same car yeah i mean in concept in the same way the 911 from today
5:00
is still the same car as 10 20 years ago i mean this is lovely now where do you go next do you
5:06
just gradually and progressively evolve this car so we've got a turbocharged version we call it mono
5:12
f for forced induction as the project started we weren't sure if it was going to be supercharged or
5:16
turbo we went turbo in the end it's essentially the same car it won't have the exotic materials
5:21
in the exhaust in the gearbox case and things as you know they'll become options this being a
5:26
limited series car has got everything we could do to to save weight and so we went as far as we could
5:32
go crazy stuff great thanks mate i wish you the very best of luck thank you appreciate it so with
5:38
The belt's done up tight and a fresh set of P0 slicks that had been toasting in some tyre warmers for the previous half hour fitted
6:46
so there you go one minute 6.9 and that includes one big ish slide that probably cost a good couple
7:08
of tents on its own plus a track that was quite grubby in places stitch all the best sectors
7:14
together to form a perfect theoretical lap and we reckon the mono r would have done a one minute
7:19
six point five either way the bac mono r really is the king of anglesey and i don't reckon it will
7:27
get beaten by anything anytime soon and all this from a car with just 342 bhp there's a lesson in
7:36
here somewhere
#Motor Vehicles (By Type)
#Custom & Performance Vehicles
#Ferrari
#Subaru
#Compact Cars
#Sports Cars
#Vehicle Specs, Reviews & Comparisons
#Auto Racing
#Motor Vehicles (By Brand)