BAC first teased the idea of a new car back in June of last year, but this new car is pretty much the same as the old car. Well, it only looks the same. According to the people who build the thing, this new Mono shares nothing with its predecessor except a single-seat open-cockpit layout and a penchant for going really fast and melting the driver’s face. Still, I can’t get over how similar it looks to the car it replaces. I guess we’ll just have to take their word for it.
I mean, just look at this thing! Here’s a 2015 model which recently sold on Bring A Trailer. Same same, right? I guess not.
If you were to hit this car with the measuring tool on your iPhone, you’d discover that it sits about 0.8 inches lower than the old car, and its overall length has been reduced by nearly an inch. The frontal area is smaller, making the new Mono slightly more aerodynamic. Even so, the top speed of the new car remains unchanged at 270 kilometres per hour.
The new Mono features a turbocharged Ford-based 2.3-litre engine co-developed with Mountune which produces 295 lb-ft of torque and 332 horsepower, up 27 from the old naturally aspirated mill. Specially designed for the BAC, the new engine features a dry-sump system to help lower the car’s centre of gravity.
The company says it moved to turbocharged power as a way to keep the car emissions legal, while passing the new EU drive-by-noise legislation. It’s not only more powerful, but it’s still totally road legal.
Because the new Mono’s turbocharged driveline adds a bit more weight than the old motor, the firm had to find new ways to reduce weight. The biggest move in this department was a new set of wheels which now weigh just 2.1 kg per corner, a 35 per cent reduction in wheel weight. It also features a carbon fibre floor, lightweight AP Racing brake callipers, carbon ceramic brake rotors, and graphene-enhanced carbon fibre body panels. It’s a full 10 kilograms lighter than the outgoing model.
570 kilograms. With more power and less weight, the new Mono is capable of a 0-60 (97 km/h) sprint in a stunning 2.7 seconds.
Despite being named after the dreaded kissing disease, the Mono is still the best looking thing to come out of Liverpool, and I wouldn’t mind giving it a snog. I think I’ll take my BAC in BLAC.
If you want one of your own, it’ll cost you £165,950 ($322,615) in the UK. That’s a lot of pounds for not a lot of pounds.