BAC Mono R shows how far the road-going single-seater has evolved

Can you think of a worse time to have launched a business selling an expensive, single-seat racing car for the road than 2009, just months after markets went into meltdown following the Lehman Brothers crash?

But the world’s financial woes didn’t deter Cheshire-born brothers Neill and Ian Briggs from establishing the factory that would enable them to turn their dream into reality and, in 2011, the first BAC Mono rolled off the production line in Runcorn.

Those early cars cost around £75,000 but, as improvements in design, materials and performance were made, the price almost doubled within five years – and the Mono came to be in ever greater demand from driving enthusiasts who loved its raw performance and shameless impracticality.

And buyers weren’t just track-day fanatics or people who wanted the ultimate pose-mobile in which to drive to the shops: during a visit to the BAC ‘works’, the brothers told me of one German owner who clocked-up 9000 miles in his Mono within eight months, using it to tour the best roads he could find in areas such as the Alps and the Black Forest.

Within a decade, the Mono had established a true cult following and, at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the wraps were pulled off an even more powerful, even lighter version called the R that was to be made in just 30 examples and sold only to existing BAC owners.

In the event, the combination of a 2.5-litre Mountune engine tweaked to produce 345bhp (40bhp more than standard) in a car weighing 555kg (15kg fewer than standard) and featuring the world’s first graphene-enhanced carbon composite body panels proved so covetable that the production limit was upped by 10.

Just being a Mono R makes this car on offer through The Ashtree Collection pretty special – but the fact that it’s one of just three UK-registered examples and the last of the 40 to be built further adds to its desirability.

When new, the R had a base price of around £190,000, with the original owner of this one specifying a host of extras that would have added £30,000 on top (including £11,950 for a set of Carbon Hybrid wheels and £6495 for a made-to-measure seat). All the same it remains in barely used condition with fewer than 1600 miles on the clock, its gloss black bodywork protected on the road by a layer of matt PPF and, when waiting quietly in the garage for its new owner, a tailored Mono car cover.

Having driven a ‘regular’ Mono on the roads around the Runcorn factory (a journey partly made in pouring rain) I can vouch for the fact that these are probably the most accomplished, focused and fun of any car in their segment. And if you want to use this one on track, it’s fitted with quick-lift jacks and towing eyes and will be supplied with a spare set of 17in OZ alloys to prevent potentially expensive damage to the aforementioned Carbon ones.

True, it’s not the cheapest entry into pure, automotive selfishness – but if you don’t like giving people lifts, it might be a small price to pay.

2022 Bac Mono R
On sale with The Ashtree Collection, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Asking: £229,995. theashtreecollection.co.uk

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