Rainer Kuehlwein, chief manufacturing officer, discusses the innovative spirit that led to the creation of the BAC Mono.
The Liverpool-based Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) was founded by brothers Neill and Ian Briggs to provide the world with a road vehicle that offers the most authentic and pure driving experience possible.
First launched in 2011, Mono uses the very latest racing technology to create the ultimate sporting drive.
Mono is unique in that every car is shaped around the person behind the wheel, the new owner. It’s a race car for the road that can be regarded as an A-to-A vehicle, rather than A-to-B.
When first unveiled, Mono caused shockwaves throughout the industry. Never before had there been a supercar that combined racing tech and the latest automotive innovations with genuine track pedigree and on-road ability.
Thanks to this combination of attention to the ultimate driver experience and cutting-edge technology, Mono remains the only car of its kind.
We always stay on top of technology trends from around the world and, where appropriate, put them into production. We use hi-tech materials such as inconel, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, magnesium, pre-pregnated carbon fibre and even nature’s best composite wood to keep Mono as light as possible.
We also embrace new manufacturing software and technology, including generative designs and 3D printing. This technical agility acts as a vital technology stepping stone to bring the latest and most innovative products to the mass market.
BAC only uses tech from top-tier partners and proudly stays loyal to its British roots by using local suppliers whenever possible – in fact, 98% of Mono’s parts are sourced from the UK, with almost 50% from the north-west region.
We were the first company in the world to develop hybrid carbon-composite wheels, which were revealed at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The BAC team, led by co-founder and design director Ian Briggs, designed the carbon-composite wheels in collaboration with British performance wheel manufacturer, Dymag.
As well as revolutionising the look of the BAC Mono, the new wheels bring weight and performance improvements – lowering the rotational weight of the wheel.
We scooped another world first by being the first manufacturer to develop a car featuring panels incorporating graphene.
Together with Haydale Composite Solutions, we created graphene-enhanced carbon fibre composite rear wheel arches. It’s significantly lighter than standard carbon fibre and stronger too, meaning that it can bring weight reductions of around 20% while being 200 times stronger than steel.
The UK’s best of the best
Last year, McLaren Automotive won The Manufacturer MX Award for Innovation & Design. It is hardly surprising, given their rapid rise over the past eight years to become Britain’s foremost supercar manufacturer.
Click here to read The Manufacutrer’s interview with Alan Foster, McLaren Automotive’s Executive Director Infrastructure Projects, about their success.
We thought we should let the companies who were shortlisted with McLaren, but didn’t walk away with the award on the night, tell their own innovation stories.
BAC was one of them, and you can read the other three via the links below:
- A-SAFE: Pioneering scientifically-engineered safety
- Greg Rowe Ltd: Innovation on tap
- Lontra: Manufacturing a culture of innovation
Click the banner below to view this year’s shortlist, and to book your tickets for the UK’s largest annual manufacturing awards – celebrating the Best of British industry:
