BAC Moving to a New Factory and Celebrates Top Gear Lap Record

Boutique British automaker Briggs Automotive CompanyBACUnited Kingdom, 2009 > present1 model
17 photos
1 video
, better known as BAC, is celebrating opening a new factory in Liverpool and setting a second-place Top Gear lap time on July 7. The company is best known for its single-seat Mono.

The new factory will be complete in the fall of 2013, and the first cars will leave the factory in 2014. It will have 60 employees, and BAC hopes to be building 100 cars a year by 2015.

“Liverpool is a great place to do business, and with the wealth of highly skilled individuals in the region we believe we are perfectly positioned to take the company to the next level. This expansion and job creation will allow us to meet sales demand around the world, and build on the fantastic interest Mono has received since it was launched,” said Neill Briggs, Managing Director of BAC Ltd.

The BAC Mono has received a string of awards recently including BBC Top Gear “Stig’s Car of the Year” award. When he drove the car on the July 7 episode of the show, he set a time of 1:14.3, which is the course’s second fastest ever behind the Pagani HuayraPagani HuayraItaly, 2011 > present27 photos
1 video
.

The Mono weighs just 540kg (1190kg) and accelerates to 60mph in 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 170mph. Its engine is a naturally aspirated 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine from Cosworth with 280hp and 207lb-ft of torque and a sequential six-speed transmission. The body is made from a carbon fiber/foam sandwich over a chassis of TIG welded tubular aluminum. Prices start at £96,495.