The BAC Mono has set a new production car lap record at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.
With Blancpain GT Series Asia driver Shaun Thong behind the wheel, the single-seater sports car lapped the track that also hosts the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix in 2:14.617, eclipsing the previous best time of 2:18.997 set by the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
The record-setting time was secured on a closed track in a customer-owned 2018 model, which was there along with seven other customer-owned Monos at the Sepang circuit for the Mono Experience. Previous lap records have been set by the car at Zolder, Hungaroring, and Anglesey. The Mono is also the fastest supercar to compete in the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Supercar Shootout.
“What a fantastic achievement from a truly remarkable supercar. Mono has achieved some incredible things around the world and this is just another feat that we are very proud of. To go over four seconds faster around Sepang than the GT2 RS is amazing – no production car lap record in the world is safe with Mono around!” BAC Hong Kong’s Freddie Chen said.
As surprising as it may be, the BAC Mono was first launched back in 2011 and has made it through to the end of 2018 without any styling changes. Nevertheless, it still looks fresh and just as appealing as ever.
One key difference between the original and the most recent model are the different engines. Whereas the original vehicle had a 2.3-liter four-cylinder Cosworth engine delivering 285 hp, all Monos built since 2015 have a 2.5-liter with 305 hp at 8000 rpm mated to a six-speed sequential transmission from Hewland.