Neill Briggs, founder of BAC
Photos: BAC
BAC founder Neill Briggs closed down the mountain section of the Isle of Man TT circuit for an unforgettable Detour.
“To see people who’d never met before bond and share that experience together, and go from complete strangers to almost best of friends in a matter of days was heart-warming. ”
“My brother Ian and I were influenced by our father. He used to make things from furniture to motorhomes, and everything around the house. And that's how we grew up, helping create things. So you can see where we got the bug to create our own car, and car company, with BAC.
And you can also see why we love a good road trip; the motorhome started off with trips to Devon, then northern France, then Biarritz, Spain, the southern tip of Portugal – all the way from Liverpool. When you’re ten years old, that gives you that adventurous spirit and desire to explore new places. And it’s a spirit that we have brought with us into BAC, and the Mono.
It’s a car built with a single-minded purpose but has brought together a tremendous feeling of community. We encourage that community to come together and enjoy some mind-blowing road trips. And the highlight, from a personal perspective, was a trip to the Isle of Man.
We started from the factory, in Liverpool, and drove to the waterfront, to Pier Head, boarded a Seacat and toured some of the local roads on the Isle of Man as a preliminary warm up. The following day, we enjoyed a private track session at Jurby Circuit, where there’s also a fantastic motor museum. The next day we sampled some of the wonderful local roads – pick some of the best mountain roads you have ever driven – then imagine that with the road closed off to the public so you have it all to yourself. That’s what we did, and the roads had recently been resurfaced, so you have this smooth run alongside stunning coastal scenery.
I think the most memorable moment for me was doing some serious speeds around the mountain section, beyond Snaefell. You come out of Ramsey, then there’s some hairpin bends which are quite famous, and then you climb over the top of the mountain and descend again toward Douglas. That section of road is just incredible. And to drive it in a car that we designed, going from a sketch to a company, to selling cars and distributing it to over 40 countries, and doing it with people from as far afield as Hong Kong and Canada, was one of my proudest moments in life, a true landmark that’s right up there in my career.
The Mono just got better and better with speed, and everyone was buzzing. To see those people – people who’d never met before – bond and share that experience together, and go from complete strangers to almost best of friends in a matter of days was heart-warming.
I often see that from the outside, looking in, because I rarely drive our cars at events, as I don’t think it’s my place. But this was a one-off and to experience the same buzz as the Mono owners, around the majestic Isle of Man, was a true privilege.”
