RE: Chris Harris video: BAC Mono

[k-ink]

It is simply that for £80k it would be nice to be one of those faster vehicles.

Of course quality costs, so I'm sure you can enjoy the Mono on various different levels. as an object to look at it is lovely. I'd just prefer it to have some aero for the price.

[hairykrishna]

I don't think it needs aero. It's a toy, not for chasing ultimate lap times. It's likely to be one of the quickest things on any given track day anyway and I don't think more aero grip would make it any more fun.

[SidewaysSi]

Nice car but £80k is a bit much for me. If it had a screen, 2 seat and was £40k less then maybe. However, there are obviously people out there who would consider such a thing.

Depends on your viewpoint i.e. if you had £80k total to spend on cars or is this was part of a multi-million stable. In the latter case then absolutely, it would be one of the many. However, in the former, £15k of Caterham Superlight, £40k of 996GT3, £15k of Lotus Elise, £5k of Defender and £5k of 205GTi would be a much better garage and give far more thrills IMHO.

[otolith]

I think giving it significant aero would probably involve a road-unfriendly ride height. If the USP is that it's a single seater you can drive on the road, that's a real downside - it isn't as if aero is really useful on the road (there is seldom enough visibility to make use of all mechanical grip).

[Mastodon2]

otolith said:

I think giving it significant aero would probably involve a road-unfriendly ride height. If the USP is that it's a single seater you can drive on the road, that's a real downside - it isn't as if aero is really useful on the road (there is seldom enough visibility to make use of all mechanical grip).

Have to agree with this - with the incredible power:weight, this is already going to be a bloody fast car. Without a real aero kit, the pace and the low seat and inevitably reduced visibility that bring means I think you'd struggle to push this car often on the road unless you were not bothered by taking massive risks. Adding all the aero on would just increase the capabilities of a car in an area that will not often be tested on the road. Furthermore, I wince to think what it would cost to fix if you dipped into a rut or pothole and snapped a carbonfibre splitter off!

On the track, it would make a difference, but if BAC wanted something so single-minded, they would have built it as a track only version, but again I think that is missing the point of what they wanted. As Harris said, it's smooth and easy to drive, it rewards the driver and is not intimidating. Throwing away "pleasurable track driver" in place of "white knuckle lap timer" would have been neither original nor suited to what BAC obviously intended the car to be.

[otolith]

^^ exactly.

[TWareham]

We have had the factory car for the last couple of days, took it home commuted to work and driven around a bit on the road and the circuit it works great on both. £80k+ just for a track car is a touch extravagant, just as well this is both a great track toy and an exceptional road car.

Some pictures from its visit here:

Mono Pics

I think a few people were after some on the road footage... this will follow shortly.

Thanks,
Tom

[356Speedster]

TWareham said:

We have had the factory car for the last couple of days, took it home commuted to work and driven around a bit on the road and the circuit it works great on both. £80k+ just for a track car is a touch extravagant, just as well this is both a great track toy and an exceptional road car.

Some pictures from its visit here:

Mono Pics

I think a few people were after some on the road footage... this will follow shortly.

Thanks,
Tom

Nice pices Tom, the car does look alien on the road, which is definately a good thing.... looking around your site, I notice the price is listed as £89,995 before options, crikey it's going up by the day isn't it!

[carspath]

i carefully thought through many of the issues raised by other commentators on this thread, before committing to buying the PROTOTYPE BROOKE DOUBLE R 260 in 2008

brooke was essentially a small british start-up company, and i was aware that it might not survive long, and that i was investing, what for me, was a substancial sum in an unknown entity

key factors in convincing me to proceed with buying the car were:

1/ autocar and evo were very positive re the build quality

2/ the company had spent 3 years developing and refining this particular car---their only prototype

3/ the basic ingredients were of sound provenence----cosworth 260bhp/200lbft 2.3L duratec(essentially the same cosworth engine as in the BAC MONO)/tubular spaceframe chassis/longitudinal engine and gearbox lay-out

4/ less exotic gearbox and grp bodywork to account for a price of about half that of the BAC MONO

5/ to own a car that had been tested by autocar/evo/car/autoexpress/topgear/times/guardian/telegraph/fifth gear

6/ the car being rare and having an unusual shape , which to my eyes was very attractive

7/ the car being a genuine prototype

8/ to have what was essentially a hand built car, that the factory were prepared to modify to my specification to make it more useable as a long distance road car , rather than a semi-hard core track car

9/ autocar testing this car at 0-60 in 3.2 secs/0-100 in 7.68secs/0-100-0 in 12.15 secs
this car came 3rd in the 2006 and 2nd in the 2007 autocar 0-100-0 test


the car lacks any aero, but then i dont track it, so this is not an issue
it is a great road car, once the adjustable suspension is softened----but you need an understanding wife/ passenger
i have been fortunate in being able to find an ex-F2 RACE ENGINEER who is able to look after it relatively cheaply , but without compromising its care in any way

there are more than a few similarities between the brooke and the bac mono, the least of which is that the fun and joy of both ,are not necessarily in outright speed or laptimes , but in the joy of the handling and the very direct sensation the car gives you (very much like my series 1 mx5!! --which i also really love)

i really enjoy my brooke and suspect that the bac mono would also be a joy

[carspath]

as an addendum to my comparison of the BROOKE 260 DOUBLE R and the BAC MONO in the message immediately above, i should add that the immediacy and ease of the hydraulic automated gear shift of the BAC MONO is probably matched by the mechanical feel and ability to heel and toe with the conventional gear-shift in the BROOKE DOUBLE R

[alexpa]

Really, really really want. Can afford just, don't have the balls to take on the debate with the other half