Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) will reveal a new derivative of the track-focused, ultra-lightweight Mono R at Monterey Car Week on 17 August, as part of its wide-reaching strategy to become a global brand offering “high-performance and ultra-luxury” cars.
The as-yet-unnamed derivative has been developed under the British firm’s “one-of-a-kind” philosophy, while offering a “new dimension” to its line-up.
BAC said the car stays true to the performance and handling characteristics the industry has come to expect from its products while allowing it to tap into new markets and become a larger presence on the world stage.
It’s tipped to be powered by the same Mountune-sourced naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the Mono R, with wider-bore cylinders and a new billet-aluminium crankshaft that allows the rev limit to be raised to 8000rpm.
At 136bhp per litre, BAC claimed the Mono R represented a “global record” for a road-legal atmo engine, with a 555kg kerb weight giving a power-to-weight ratio of 612bhp per tonne. The result was an Ariel Atom V8-rivalling 0-62mph time of 2.5sec and a top speed of 170mph.
The Liverpool-based firm will introduce the Mono R’s new sibling at Monterey Car Week in California. It will be unveiled at the House of BAC ranch in Carmel Valley by recently appointed chairman Mike Flewitt, along with co-founders Neill and Ian Briggs.
Prices are yet to be revealed, but most examples of the limited-run Mono R sold for well above £200,000, meaning this new derivative could sell for at least as much.
A turbocharged 332bhp Mono F will eventually join this derivative in BAC’s ever-expanding range, powered by the 2.3-litre Ford Ecoboost engine from the Ford Focus ST, delivering 332bhp and 295lb ft of torque.
