New-Generation Turbocharged BAC Mono Launched: More Power, Innovation, Lighter Weight and Road-Legal Across Europe

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has officially launched the new BAC Mono – a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the single-seater supercar that’s fully road legal across continental Europe and around the world.

Sporting the stunning new
generation of Mono design DNA first seen on the BAC Mono R, the newcomer
epitomises how form enhances function with reductions in visual mass across the
body, less frontal area and a lower height creating a sleeker, more organic
overall appearance.

For the first time, Mono meets the
latest stringent EU6D emissions and drive-by noise regulations to
make it ready for the streets of Europe. Its 2.3-litre, four-cylinder
turbocharged engine is 27bhp more powerful than its predecessor – at 332bhp –
and offers in excess of an incredible 400Nm of torque.

The One of a Kind supercar weighs
just 570kg despite numerous additions under the skin in line with European
regulations, thanks to the inclusion of a number of technological feats. The
likes of BAC’s graphene R&D projects from the Mono R, additive
manufacturing and a ground-breaking generative-design wheel project with
software partner Autodesk have helped to reduce the weight over
the first-generation model.

Staggering power of 332bhp and a
570kg kerb weight add up to a truly remarkable power-to-weight ratio of
582bhp-per-tonne – 57bhp-per-tonne higher than the original Mono’s figure.
Vehicle dynamic enhancements mean the iconic single-seater continues to offer a
totally unparalleled, scintillating driving experience.

The new BAC Mono sports the stunning
new generation of the single-seater’s design DNA, first seen on the
ground-breaking BAC Mono R at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019.

The striking new look of BAC Mono is
centred around the value of form enhancing function – visual designs created in
line with Mono offering the purest driving experience in the world.

BAC prides itself on being at the
very forefront of design and setting the bar for what’s visually possible in
the supercar world. The design team’s overall brief was to make the car
visually lighter, cleaner and more simplistic – a thin surface on a phenomenal
machine.

From the first-generation model, a
completely new approach to body engineering has been undertaken, with all
surfaces designed from scratch to reduce visual mass across the body and
achieve a more organic, lighter aesthetic. This is epitomised by the imposing
shark nose, which successfully reduces frontal area and improves aerodynamics.

Centrally mounted headlights are a
distinguishing feature carried over from the Mono R that also simplify the
front, while a 20mm reduction in height and a 25mm increase in length over the
first-generation car further contribute to the Mono’s sleeker yet more squat
appearance.

More aerodynamically efficient front
arches and wider sidepods for enhanced cooling are carried over from the R’s
design, as well as a larger spoiler extending over the rear arches. Lower down
on the body, all surfaces are thinner to effectively sculpt and divert airflow.

New LED lights, twin-strut wing
mirrors, rear crash box and a narrower tail incorporating new LED combination
fog and reverse lights complete the new look, while inside remains perfect for
customer personalisation with a new, even lighter carbon steering wheel and
optional carbon side panels.

Power

For the very first time, BAC has
opted for forced induction with the engine of the new-generation Mono –
focusing on road legality around the world and keeping emissions down with a
turbocharged unit.

The newcomer boasts a 2.3-litre
four-cylinder in-line turbo engine, with bespoke development by long-standing
engine partner Mountune – including a co-developed dry sump system that places
the main mass of the engine lower and subsequently improves centre of gravity.
Uprated chassis, transmission and driveline components also feature.

The engine meets the very latest
stringent EU6D emissions regulations, while the vehicle passes EU
drive-by-noise and electromagnetic (EMC) legislature to make it fully road
legal across the continent and beyond.

Power has increased 27bhp to 332bhp,
while BAC’s engineering team has worked tirelessly to ensure the staggering
torque figure of over 400Nm is delivered progressively in harmony with BAC’s
driving DNA.

Innovation

BAC is forever innovating and pushing
automotive boundaries with a perpetual focus on light weighting technology. As
such, the new Mono features a number of technological feats that keep its
weight as low as possible and subsequently enhance performance.

In collaboration with software
partner Autodesk, BAC has produced revolutionary generative-design wheels for
the new Mono that look stunning and reduce weight in an exceptional fashion.
Generative design is a form of artificial intelligence that leverages
cloud-computing to create better outcomes, allowing manufacturers to explore
thousands of designs in less time than using traditional processes.

With BAC’s manufacturing constraints
and functional requirements added to Fusion 360 software, the team was able to
explore ways to make the wheels lighter by using less materials but still bring
a strong aesthetic similarity to the way the car is designed. The results produced
a remarkable wheel that’s 35% lighter than before – saving 1.22kg of
reciprocating, unsprung mass – weighing just 2.2kg per wheel.

BAC has also incorporated its
revolutionary R&D projects within the new Mono, using graphene-enhanced
carbon fibre throughout the car. A world-first in every panel on the Mono R,
graphene enhances the structural properties of carbon fibre to make panels
stronger and lighter with improved mechanical and thermal performance.

BAC teamed up with DSM to once again
use additive manufacturing on the new Mono. Printing parts using
high-performance polymers has reduced design-to-manufacture timeframes of
complex geometrical components and saved further weight.

The use of additive manufacturing on
the new Mono is more extensive than ever for BAC with over 40 components being 3D printed, including the front and rear light surrounds, mirror arms and
mirror housing, front hatch hinges, the front hatch latch mechanism, engine
inlet components and more.

Lighter AP Racing brake calipers and
a new carbon floor are successfully carried over from the Mono R, while
optional carbon-ceramic brakes (which save 2.55kg of unsprung mass per corner)
further contribute to weight saving.

Turbocharging and meeting European
regulations saw the new Mono welcome a number of additions under the skin that
result in a heavier power unit and ancillaries, but the inclusion of
ground-breaking innovation has kept the car’s weight down to just 570kg – 10kg
less than the first-generation model.

Ultimate Driving Experience

The first-generation Mono was famed
for providing the purest, most accessible driving experience around, and BAC’s
design and engineering teams have ensured the new-generation model continues to
offer unrivalled performance on the road and track thanks to a number of
vehicle dynamics enhancements.

BAC has lowered the car’s centre of
gravity and improved weight distribution to near-perfect proportions, thanks in
part to increasing the volume and lowering the fuel tank. The battery has also
been repositioned to the centre of the car underneath the driver for optimum
balance.

Suspension geometry has been
optimised to reduce pitch under braking, with increased anti-dive at the front
and anti-squat at the rear maximising traction, while two-way adjustable
dampers from Swedish experts Öhlins also feature.

The vehicle dynamic improvements
combine to reduce braking distances and weight transfer, helping to deliver
sharper turn-in, provide better rotation at the apex and better traction out of
corners – aided by specially homologated Pirelli Trofeo R tyres being fitted as
standard on all new Mono models.

All of it adds up to a driving
experience totally unparalleled anywhere on four wheels – lighter weight, more
power and more efficient aerodynamics provide a drive that pushes the
boundaries ever closer to perfection.

Neill Briggs, BAC’s Director of
Product Development, said: “Today marks a monumental and hugely proud day for
myself and everyone associated with BAC. Launching another incredible product
and holding our heads high amongst the automotive elite at the Geneva
International Motor Show is truly humbling – and special thanks go to the
talented BAC team as well as our partners and suppliers worldwide. The success
of the first-generation Mono was beyond our wildest dreams and we can’t wait
for even more success with the new model in brand new territories around the
globe. This is a stunning new generation of an automotive icon and an exciting
new way for us to take on the world.”

Ian Briggs, Design Director at BAC,
added: “When it came to designing the new-generation BAC Mono, we didn’t just
want to set a precedent for the evolution of Mono – we wanted to set a totally
new bar for supercar design. The flowing, functional shape that’s full of
undeniable Mono DNA is lighter-looking, more simplistic and cleaner than ever
before, with a reduced frontal area and thinner surfaces throughout. Making the
second Mono was always going to be a challenge – much like the ever-anticipated
second album of an artist – but we’re confident the stunning look, innovation
and driving experience of the new BAC Mono will more than meet the demands and
expectations.”

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