Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) delivers first BAC Mono R supercar
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has officially delivered the first BAC Mono R supercar to a European customer, finished in one of the most unique and outrageous liveries ever produced by the company.
The remarkable design of R #1 is inspired by the world-famous Sony PlayStation anti-gravity racing series ‘WipEout’, in which players race ships in challenging ballistic, anti-gravity racing and combat events at breakneck speed.
The hyper-futuristic series proved to be an overwhelming global success, with several million units sold across the world throughout its reign since 1994. The most recognisable – and iconic – team to feature across the WipEout series is ‘FEISAR’ (Federal European Industrial Science and Research), which the first-ever BAC Mono R pays homage to.
Mono R #1 is finished in the classic FEISAR blue, yellow and white scheme, plus three additional colours feature alongside visible carbon aspects. The intricate masking and painting process took over 10 days to complete, with over 400 complex painted graphics spread across the supercar’s body in line with the FEISAR racing ship’s design.
BAC is known for offering the ultimate scope for customisation, with every supercar that leaves the Liverpool factory being a One of a Kind, one-of-one model. So, when the realisation of a WipEout-inspired dream was tabled by the first Mono R owner in January 2020, the design team relished the challenge.
BAC’s team hosted several meetings with original WipEout game creator and Designer Nick Burcombe, as well as acclaimed modern WipEout Graphic Designer Eddie Wainwright to bring their video-game creation to life with the perfect livery and matching helmet scheme.
Burcombe famously had the idea for WipEout while drinking with local visionary 3D artist Jim Bowers at a pub in Merseyside, before going on to lead design operations for the game through Psygnosis at their Liverpool base – just a few miles away from BAC’s HQ in the city.
WipEout continued to be developed for over two decades and helped birth the legendary ‘PlayStation Generation’, showcasing the power of Sony’s original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 with each new addition to the series.
BAC also has an extensive history in Sony PlayStation games, with the Mono supercar featuring in the likes of Grid, Need For Speed, Project Cars 2 and 3 and DRIVECLUB. On top of this, Mono will appear in the upcoming Gran Turismo 7 game for PlayStation 5.
The WipEout-inspired Mono R is the first car of only 30 that will be delivered around the world by BAC, before the new-generation, turbocharged BAC Mono enters production.
The proud owner of Mono R #1 said: “When playing WipEout on the PlayStation, I often dreamt of one day being able to fly around different race tracks for real in my own FEISAR ship. It’s not quite anti-gravity racing… but the frankly outrageous Mono R gives me the exact same sensation. It’s a true feat of engineering, technology and design – and with the way it looks, it certainly wouldn’t be out of place in any WipEout game!”
Ian Briggs, Co-Founder and Design Director at BAC, added: “Mono R is a very special supercar – a record-breaking, bar-setting, super-exclusive model the likes of which the world has never seen before. It’s only fitting, then, that the first car to leave the BAC factory is one of the most special we’ve ever produced. As always, the BAC design team left no stone unturned when it came to creating the perfect livery and it was a true pleasure working with Nick and Eddie bringing their genius to life. We’re no strangers to turning heads with our supercars, but R #1 may just turn more heads than ever.”
