BAC Mono R Review: The Most Focused Road Car Money Can Buy

Introduction

The BAC Mono is an exquisite creation designed purely for the purpose of driving enjoyment. Conceived by the Briggs brothers from Liverpool and made unashamedly in Great Britain, it is arguably the most focused road car money can buy. It is also very, very quick: in standard guise, the Mono is the fastest road car ever timed around the Anglesey circuit, by over two seconds.

The new R version pushes that formula further with a bit more power, a bit less weight, and theoretically even more speed to unleash.

What Kind of Car Is the BAC Mono R?

Think of the Mono R as a Formula Three car that is actually more sophisticated than a Formula Three car. The transmission is designed and made in-house, the engine sits out back, and there is double wishbone suspension all round. This is genuinely high-end single-seater technology, wrapped in a body that exists for one reason: the beauty of balance between power, suspension, and refinement.

It rides on reasonably trick Pirelli P Zero tyres, though these are not really suited to a car this light, which is why slicks unlock the car’s true potential. Out on track it is about precision, accuracy, snap of turn-in response, how late you can brake and how soon you can get on the throttle. Traction is off the dial. Speed is off the dial.

Power and Weight

The Mono R produces 342 horsepower, and thanks to the roof-mounted intake creating a ram air effect at speed, BAC reckons another seven or eight horsepower come on top, so call it a nice round 350. Fifth gear keeps it comfortably under 600 kilograms ready to go, without a driver aboard.

That is a lot of power for that much weight, though interestingly not a crazy amount. Straight-line performance was never the Mono’s unique selling point. It has always been about balance. Pricing sits at about 215,000 pounds, and there is simply nothing else like it.

Weight Savings Everywhere

This is a completely new generation car, and almost nothing carries over. The chassis is new, all the suspension geometry is new with more anti-dive and anti-squat, and the wishbones themselves use much more aerodynamic tubing. The carbon graphene bodywork makes BAC the first manufacturer to use the material, saving nine kilograms across 44 new body panels.

The steel structure around the driver, from just behind the feet to just behind the seat, is tested to F1 regulations for rollover protection and side impact. Compared to the previous generation car, the Mono R is about 40 kilograms lighter; compared to a Mono from a decade ago, roughly 60 kilograms lighter with about 70 horsepower more.

Engine and Transmission

The gearbox is the Hewland FTR, now with a magnesium case and new ratios to suit an engine that revs to 9,000 rpm. The naturally aspirated engine wears a titanium exhaust and a magnesium bell housing, and the inlet runners are carbon fibre reinforced 3D-printed parts, another production-car first. Because the exhaust and gearbox case materials are so exotic on this limited-series car, they will become options on the upcoming turbocharged Mono F.

On-Track Performance

Fitted with a fresh set of Pirelli slicks warmed in tyre warmers, the Mono R lapped Anglesey in one minute 6.9 seconds, and that included one big slide that probably cost a couple of tenths, plus a track that was grubby in places. Stitch the best sectors together into a perfect theoretical lap and the Mono R would have done a one minute 6.5.

Either way, the BAC Mono R really is the king of Anglesey, and it is hard to imagine anything beating it any time soon. All of this comes from a car with just 342 horsepower. There is a lesson in there somewhere.

Buying Advice

At roughly 215,000 pounds, the Mono R is a limited-series machine with everything BAC could do to save weight. If you want raw straight-line speed, a turbocharged Mono F is on the way with the same fundamental concept. But if you value precision, balance, and the purest driving experience available on the road, the Mono R is the one to have.

Conclusion

The BAC Mono R distils everything that makes the Mono special into an even lighter, more advanced package. It is a car that proves power figures are not everything, and that precision engineering can beat brute force on any circuit worth its name.