For automotive engineers, this philosophy has arguably been the same since the time of Henry Ford: produce a vehicle for transportation. Yes, carmakers go off and focus their efforts on different things from being off road capable to being an economic commuter car. But, at the heart of it, the fundamental aim of a road car is to transport people, and that is never comprised. So, when someone comes out and says they want to design a car, but start from somewhere completely different, is it madness or genius?
"We set out to produce a piece of sports equipment and had a really clear goal: make the best driving car possible," said Ian Briggs, design director at BAC. "The moment you start from there, you realise you'd never dream of creating anything else but a single seater. You don't see a tandem mountain bike or a snowboard with space for mate. Yet, because cars are a method of transport, they have never been looked at in this way.
"We were never tempted to think about passengers or space for golf clubs. Everything that improved the car was in, everything that detracted was out."
The BAC Mono was designed by Ian Briggs and engineered by his brother Neill, and both follow the same fundamental design philosophy: produce a road legal track day car that promises to deliver the purist driving experience.
The Mono shot to fame when it literally sent ripples across the face of Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear during a test drive, but also set the second fastest lap time ever for a road legal car on the circuit. So did they expect such a rapid lap?
"It was our secret hope," said Briggs. "But it is only from the point of view of you're paying a high price for performance. We had to be that fast to confirm that if you do away with aircon, a roof, doors and place for your mate, what you get in return is a lot of dynamics in the vehicle, how it feels to drive, and ultimately a very quick car."
The Mono has something unique about it, perhaps a certain Britishness and Northern spirit that has been able to challenge convention and bring together both engineering prowess and sublime design aesthetic. The whole concept of making a hybrid road/racing car is a brave and novel one, but in the Mono it really works.
The Briggs brothers are unsurprisingly no novices. Both have comprehensive industry experience as design and engineering consultants working for names including Porsche, Mercedes and Audi, along with Lufthansa and even luxury yacht makers. And despite selling a single product, and to date producing just over 30 of them, the Mono is on magazine covers around the world. For those that can afford the price tag, it is delivering on the promise of that pure driving experience.
The car uses a fully adjustable pushrod suspension system with damping elements that can be adjusted for the road or track, for dry and wet conditions, and it leaves a lot of scope for setting up the car for a particular need.
As you would expect it is incredibly light and uses a carbon fibre composite construction over the top of a seamless tube laser cut steel chassis and roll bar structure. The car has a centre of gravity just 5mm above the axle, meaning that it is able to corner very quickly. While it isn't designed to produce all that much down force, it has mechanical grip in abundance, which makes it the driver's car it sets out to be.
"We wanted to design a car that didn't exist," said Briggs. "No one has ever done a pure single seater and it means the only thing not symmetrical is the intake and exhaust, and the wiring which runs down one side. The steering rack is right in the middle, not like a horrible normal car."
Although very similar to climbing in a race car, the cockpit is covered in fabric and is far more elegant than the rough and ready cockpit of a racing car. This was critical for Briggs, to include subtle features that make it comfortable and elegant, and not just fast.
An example is making sure the helmet will not bang against a hard surface on corners, instead it touches only soft fabric. And nonslip fabric is above the steering wheel, so it doesn't slip off when getting in and out of the car when it is removed. All practical, but insightful touches, that bring ergonomic design to the more brutish world of fast track day cars.
In turn, the engineering mind of Neill Briggs has delivered a car that is just as technically sound, as it is aesthetic. The two have perhaps been able to push the relationship between engineer and designer further than is normally possible. However, it was not without some sibling rivalry.
"There were heated moments, of course," said Briggs, smiling. "But, it was good as there was a line. For example, I wanted rose joints all round. Neill told me that it needs wheel recessions and has to work as a road car. We didn't want a jarring ride or things needing replacing, or even breaking after six months because of bumps in the road. And he was absolutely right."
He knew that this ultimately was a road car, and engineered it as such. Despite first impressions, this is not an out and out racing car for the track.
Lots to learn
Most car companies don't make it. It's an unfortunate truth, but there are a couple of reasons why. One is that they try to fight the battles with big companies on big company terms. And while many might view being a small car manufacturer in the north west of England as a hard place to be truly successful, Briggs' outlook is full of optimism. He actually sees the position of the business as an opportunity to improve the product and be competitive.
He holds up a precision engineered component and explained: "The pedal box is our own design and is milled from a billet of aluminium. There is nothing here that is brought, except the master cylinder. There is seven hours machining in the shear plate alone.
"A big OEM might buy a press tool, produce 100's or 1000's, and pay a few pounds for the part. But the advantage we have is that we can afford to put an expensive part there, which even sports car manufacturers can't. We might pay £300 for the part, but we only produce 50 cars a year."
All this means the car looks well engineered and can command its premium price. And for Briggs, it means that any changes to the design are immediate with no locked in effect on tooling.
"We turn disadvantage into advantage," he explained. "We do that all over the car, and have a business and product that doesn't fight head to head with the bigger manufacturers on their terms."
And this philosophy goes way beyond the design and engineering of the Mono itself, and runs through the heart of the business. The fact that Mono doesn't have dealers to service cars all over the world has also become a point to leverage. Instead, BAC sends an engineer in person to wherever they are required.
"We send the guy that built the car to the owner's house," said Briggs. "So again, we turn the fact we don't have dealerships all over the world, into an advantage as the customer gets great service. And that is what you need to do as a small business."
The short term success of the Mono has seen the team move in the last 18 months to a factory in Speke, Liverpool. BAC is now in the process of ramping up production to meet demand and by the end of the year hope to be producing one Mono a week. It is still ambitious for a company that has produced just over 30 products to date.
"It is a hell of challenge building a Mono," said Briggs. "There's something like 1500 components from 100 suppliers. We are just going step by step."
To add to its complications, the company has recently undergone a project to increase the engine capacity, where customers desire, from 2.3L to 2.5L. This will increase horse power from 280hp to 305hp. But a turbo engine, much like the world of current F1 cars, is inevitable.
"At the moment all the engines are made by Cosworth and are normally aspirated," said Briggs. "We've not gone down the turbo route yet, but we will have to at some point I'm sure to get emissions down. While the 2020 emission regulations do not affect us as we don't produce enough cars, if you want road registration in mainland Europe you need to meet Euro 6 emissions and that stops us selling in a lot of mainland Europe as a road legal car."
Beyond this the Briggs brothers have big plans, possibly a Mono race series, or possibly something completely different again. While it is certain that for at least the next few years they'll be kept busy, expect more.
For the time being, however, with current national figures showing the growing success of the UK car industry, the Briggs brothers are please to be part of the in-crowd, and continue their reputation as industry innovators.
Similarities to F1 There are many aspects of the design of the BAC Mono that take inspiration from F1, and the wider motorsport community. The process of having to climb in to the car with the steering wheel off gives that immediate sensation that you are getting in to a racing car. And then the custom moulded seat and steering further add that this is car tailored to you. The steering is moulded to the driver's hands using clay, which is then scanned and digitised before being 3D printed in rubber. This is then wrapped in leather, and integrated with various buttons and head up display. "We are doing rapid prototyping parts as production parts," said Briggs. It is one of the most striking aspects of the car, especially from the view you get sat inside, and looks like it has been taken straight out of a Formula One car. But despite its fanciful appearance, upon closer inspection it is simple to figure out and use." A product like ours is going to be judged alongside racing cars," Briggs added. "People have seen F1 steering wheels and when they sit in the car, they get that feeling. Normally, though, racing cars are primitive, which this is, but it's got nice material, good design, and it comes off really well in comparison." The seat is moulded to the driver's body and buyers have to attend a 'sitting' – quite literally – to have the seat custom made for their body. In addition, the website has a configurator that allows potential buyers to go through a raft of personalised options from colour of the bodywork, other F1 inspired functionality, such as brake bias adjustment from inside the cockpit. This all adds to the feeling that this is a car made for the individual. |
Specification Powertrain: Cosworth 2.3L or 2.5L 4-cylinder, normally aspirated, to give 285hp or 305hp. |
