Jump to content

Briggs Automotive Company

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 81.145.128.82 (talk) at 14:41, 13 April 2021. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Briggs Automotive Company Ltd
IndustryAutomotive
Founded4 March 2009 (2009-03-04)
FounderNeill Briggs
Ian Briggs
Headquarters
Liverpool
,
United Kingdom
Number of locations
12 dealerships worldwide
ProductsBAC Mono
BAC Mono R
Number of employees
30 (2021)
Websitewww.bac-mono.com

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is the British supercar manufacturer behind the BAC Mono - the world's first single-seater, road-legal supercar. BAC is based in the city of Liverpool[1] with 12 dealerships around the world, including across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia and Poland.

Background

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) was founded by brothers Neill (Director of Product Development) and Ian Briggs (Design Director) in 2009. The Briggs brothers worked closely with major brands like Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley and Ford on a number of projects through their design/engineering consultancy business, but always envisaged what the project would be if they were the ones writing the brief.

The result was a zero-compromise, single-seater, open-top, road-legal supercar with the primary focus of delivering the ultimate driving experience; a car that focused solely on the person behind the wheel and offered driving thrills on the road and track unlike any other car on the planet. Hence, the BAC Mono was born.

The first BAC Mono supercar was produced in 2011[2] and made its inaugural public appearance at the VIP launch of the Retro Classics show in Stuttgart, Germany.

BAC Mono

BAC Mono
Overview
ManufacturerBriggs Automotive Company
Production2011–present
Body and chassis
LayoutRMR layout
Powertrain
Engine2.3-litre 280bhp Cosworth Duratec Inline-four engine (2011-2015)
2.5-litre 305bhp Mountune Racing Duratec Inline-four engine (2015-present)
Transmission6-speed sequential transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,565 mm (101.0 in)
Length3,952 mm (155.6 in)
Width1,800 mm (70.9 in)
Height1,110 mm (43.7 in)
Kerb weight540 kg (1,190 lb) (2011-2015)
580 kg (1,279 lb) (2015-present)

The first iteration of the BAC Mono was originally powered by a Ford Duratec 2.3-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, heavily modified by Cosworth, to produce 280 bhp (209 kW) at 7,700 rpm.[3] It's mounted longitudinally and mated to an electronically-controlled, paddle-shift, six-speed sequential Hewland transmission with limited-slip differential.

Mono weighed just 540 kg (1,190 lb), resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 518 bhp per tonne. It delivered phenomenal performance figures of 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h).[4] Weight distribution and a low centre of gravity were of paramount importance when designing the car, meaning the engine was mounted longitudinally on the driving line along with a number of other components to keep the mass of the car centralised. The distribution figures of 48/52 front to rear are close to perfection.

The car was constructed in carbon fibre with a tubular steel driver safety cell, complete with FIA-compliant roll over protection system - similar in concept to a DTM race car. The rose-jointed, aero-profiled pushrod suspension featured adjustable dampers that can be altered based on driving on either the road or track. Mono drivers are secured by a full six-point racing harness and there is a secure locker in the front of the car to store a helmet and the detachable steering wheel when parked.

Mono's design is said to be inspired by a science fiction aesthetic and also Bjork's music video for the song "All Is Full Of Love". The robot within the video has a wholly futuristic aesthetic, but it’s also being totally honest with itself – it’s a machine that’s not masquerading as anything other than that.

When the first Mono was released, BAC Design Director Ian Briggs said “Mono is the culmination of a 12-year dream for us – the car we wanted to own but nobody else made...”

In 2015, the Cosworth engine was replaced by a 2.5-litre Mountune Racing unit developing 305 bhp (227 kW) at 8,000 rpm. There were a number of further improvements under the skin to optimise performance, while wider chassis allowed for more room for the driver in the cockpit. The 2015 model year BAC Mono weighed 580kg, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 525bhp per tonne.

Away from performance, BAC prides itself on offering a completely One Of A Kind, fully tailored service with its supercars. The options are limitless for buyers in terms of customisation, including Formula One-style made-to-measure seat and steering wheel options.

The Mono hit headlines when it ran 1:14.3 at the Top Gear test track. This made it the second fastest ever car to go around the track at the time in the hands of The Stig. It was the first in a number of performance achievements for the supercar.

Performance Achievements

  • Second-fastest TopGear Power Lap of all time (fastest overall on road-legal tyres): 1 minute, 14.3 seconds (July 2013)
  • Production car lap record of 1:54.00 at the Hungaroring: nine seconds faster than a Ferrari 458 Speciale (2015)
  • Fastest rear-wheel-drive car in the world accelerating from 0-60mph in 2018: 2.7 seconds (Autocar)
  • Production car lap record of 36.5 seconds at the Roskilde Ring Race Track (Denmark) - 38.2 seconds
  • Production car lap record at the Anglesey Coastal Circuit by evo magazine: 1:07.70 (2016, fastest car ever tested by the magazine)[5]
  • Production car lap record at Circuit Zolder, Belgium (October 2017, 1:37.10)[6]
  • Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 Supercar Shootout Champions (July 2018, 49.13 seconds – fastest ever Supercar Shootout time)[7]
  • Production car lap record at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia (December 2018, 2:14.617)[8]
  • Production car lap record at Autodromo Queretaro, Mexico (June 2019)
  • Production car lap record at Autodromo di Modena, Italy (September 2019)
  • Production car lap record at 3.7km Anneau du Rhin circuit, France (August 2020)

Awards

  • GQ Track Day Car of the Year 2012[9]
  • Top Gear Stig's Car of the Year 2011[10]
  • Steve Sutcliffe's "Car of the Year"[11]
  • Xcar Best Drive 2012–2013" Editor's Choice[12]
  • Northern Automotive Alliance Innovation Company of the Year 2012
  • Merseyside Innovation Award Overall Winner 2014
  • Sunday Times Fast Track 100 Ones to Watch 2015
  • Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) Awards 2016: International Trade and Logistics Excellence
  • Department for International Trade Export Champions – North West 2017, 2018
  • TopGear Magazine Best in the World for Selfish Sundays (2017)
  • TopGear Magazine Top 50 Cars of All Time (300th edition, 2017)
  • Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) Awards 2017 – People & Skills Excellence
  • Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) Awards 2018 – Marketing Excellence
  • Autocar Magazine review: ‘5 Stars’ – December 2018
  • CAR Magazine review: ‘5 Stars’ – February 2019

BAC Mono R

BAC Mono R
Overview
ManufacturerBriggs Automotive Company
Production2019-present
Powertrain
Engine2.5-litre Mountune normally aspirated Inline-four
Power output343bhp
Transmission6-speed sequential transmission
Dimensions
Curb weight555kg

On Thursday 4th July 2019, BAC became a multi-product brand for the first time with the launch of the limited-edition BAC Mono R at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. R is a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the original BAC Mono.

Mono R serves as The New Reference – the very pinnacle of design, innovation and engineering. It sports a stunning new generation of Mono DNA, features revolutionary new materials and technology and offers world-beating performance on the road and track.

R is 38bhp more powerful and 25kg lighter than the standard Mono, at 343bhp and 555kg – equating to a truly remarkable power-to-weight ratio of 617bhp-per-tonne.

Design

Although still undeniably Mono, the R sports a stunning new generation of the single-seater’s design DNA. A brand new approach to body engineering has seen all surfaces designed from scratch and 44 bespoke carbon parts restyled to give the car a more aggressive, organic and futuristic stance.

The striking new look of Mono R is defined by the imposing shark nose front, which epitomises true efficiency of form courtesy of a sleek and homogeneous redesign. Main beam LED headlights centrally mounted on the nose are a distinguishing feature that reduce the frontal area and contribute to a more minimalist appearance.

Mono R’s sleeker and tighter appearance has been achieved by reductions in visible mass across the full body; plus there’s been a 20mm reduction in overall height and a 25mm increase in length over the standard Mono.[13]

Power

BAC engineers have ensured Mono R breaks new ground with its engine, too. Co-developed with long-standing engine partner Mountune, the Mono’s 2.5-litre, four-cylinder unit has increased in power by 38bhp to deliver 343bhp.

BAC and Mountune left no stone unturned when it came to meeting power targets: increasing the cylinder bore size and reducing new billet crankshaft stroke to optimise power and torque delivery and increase rpm from 7,800rpm to 8,800rpm.

The striking new Formula-inspired ram-air inlet system provides pressurised air into an all-new throttle body and cylinder head system to further increase power, plus a higher-spec, drive-by-wire motor allows for a quicker throttle response.

As a result, the bespoke Mountune engine now offers a specific output of 137bhp per litre – a new naturally aspirated global record for a road-legal model.[14]

Innovation

Mono R is the first production car in the world fully incorporating the use of graphene-enhanced carbon fibre in every body panel. Using the revolutionary material enhances the structural properties of the fibre to make panels stronger and lighter with improved mechanical and thermal performance.[15]

The brand’s latest world first came as a result of a successful APC-funded Research & Development project into the production-readiness of graphene. The technology is now now in full series production.

Mono R remains one of the most exclusive supercars ever made.

Lightweight Technology

BAC is known for being industry front-runners for lightweight technology, analysing every single gram that goes into its supercars and exploring how any given area can be trimmed by implementing the latest innovations. The company is famed for being pioneers in its research and development work into the use of graphene.

Using revolutionary material graphene within carbon fibre enhances the structural properties of carbon to result in less sheets being needed to meet functional performance targets. With BAC Mono and Mono R panels, the addition of graphene ensured panels required two sheets of carbon fibre, rather than three.

Overall, a panel set that weighed 41kg before the use of graphene went on to measure just 32kg – a massive 9kg / 22% weight saving.

In 2020, BAC was awarded UK Government funding to undertake its latest nano element R&D project – exploring the use of ‘Niobium’ in the structure of BAC Mono.

A soft metal, Niobium is a naturally occurring, readily available, sustainable element that is ductile, malleable and highly resistant to corrosion. It effectively enhances the mechanical properties (elongation, yield and tensile strength) of alloy metals and has therefore been used in a wide range of applications in the aerospace, architecture and energy sectors.

For BAC, Niobium will enhance the properties of the alloys used in the chassis and suspension systems of the Mono supercar. Using Niobium-enhanced alloys will mean less material will be needed to meet structural targets – once again resulting in lighter weight.

The project is sponsored by CBMM, the world leader in the production and commercialisation of Niobium products, who are exploring the use of the element in the niche supercar sector for the first time through Mono.[16]

Mono Owners' Club

BAC founded the Mono Owners' Club in 2018 to bring like-minded enthusiasts together for unforgettable experiences around the globe. BAC says that 'being a Mono owner makes you part of a tight-knit community – a community that has enjoyed phenomenal experiences at the most stunning locations the world has to offer, such as ice driving on Sweden’s frozen lakes to exploring the legendary roads of the Isle of Man'.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "BAC Mono, world's newest supercar, unveiled in Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference tg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "BAC Mono review". Autocar. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Vehicle Specifications". BAC. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  5. ^ BAC Mono | evo LEADERBOARD, retrieved 13 April 2021
  6. ^ "BAC Mono supercar sets the fastest production car lap record at Zolder". Track Car Performance. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ "BAC Mono Festival of Speed run: Time For Coffee? | PistonHeads UK". www.pistonheads.com. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ^ Hopwood, Louis (18 December 2018). "BAC Mono is the fastest production car ever at the Sepang Motor Circuit". DriveTribe. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Mono takes GQ Award!". BAC. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  10. ^ "TG Awards 2011: Stig's car of the year". Top Gear. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  11. ^ "Steve Sutcliffe makes Mono his 'Car of the Year'". BAC. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  12. ^ "XCAR Awards 2013: Best Drive, Drew". XCAR. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  13. ^ "Mono R_Design". BAC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Mono R_Power". BAC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Mono R_Innovation". BAC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Use of Lightweight Material Technology". BAC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Mono Owners Club". BAC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Briggs_Automotive_Company&oldid=1017572400"