When the BAC Mono was launched at the 2011 Retro Classics Show in Stuttgart as the world’s first single-seater, road-legal supercar, it blew away the automotive industry with the genius of its concept.
Yet despite Mono being totally radical when it was first unveiled to the world, its design and conception were actually many, many years in the making – first starting in Germany back in 2007.
While working for their design/engineering consultancy in Stuttgart – performing for the likes of Porsche, Mercedes, Smart, AMG, Maybach, Ford and Bentley – Neill and Ian would often fantasise about what a project would look like if they were the ones writing the brief. If they were given full creative control, what would be the result?
The pair quickly decided on a road-going vehicle that offers the very best performance possible anywhere on four wheels and can be regarded as the ultimate piece of sports equipment for the sport of driving. In the way you’d have the perfect bike, set of skis, snowboard and more for ultimate sports performance in their respective disciplines, Mono satisfies the brief in the driving world.
“The BAC Mono’s timeless design is frankly remarkable. Drawing inspiration from the world away from cars has made for one of the most exciting shapes in automotive history – a design that’ll simply never get old.”
Planned exceptional performance meant the design had to match, leaving Ian and the team to get to work. However, BAC didn’t just want its creation to just be like any other car – so decided to take influence from far beyond what already existed in the automotive world.
The team’s love for the science-fiction aesthetic provided inspiration for the distinct styling of Mono, with Björk’s 1999 All Is Full Of Love music video robot playing a starring role in their minds.
They also wanted the Mono to be ‘superbike-esque’, with an enclosed front that gradually becomes more exposed to the rear, so you see more mechanical components as the eye travels along it. It’s safe to say Mono was at the forefront automotive designs when it came to negative space.
Months upon months of sketches started the process, before moving on to the computer screen and subsequently into the quarter-scale clay modelling phase. From then, there was just the ‘simple’ task of bringing Mono to life