The BAC Mono is an automotive anomaly. It comes from a small company in the U.K., but looks like it was designed by aliens. It has just one seat, no doors, and no roof. So it should be perfect as a police car, right?
Police departments around the world have added sports cars to their fleets, but the BAC Mono might be the most impractical of these stunt cop cars yet. BAC (short for Briggs Automotive Company, named after the brothers who founded it), provided a Mono to the Isle of Man police force. It will be used primarily for promotional purposes.
The Isle of Man is a small island located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. It’s self-governing, but still technically part of the U.K. It’s know for great driving roads and a love of speed, expressed annually in the form of the Isle of Man TT, a motorcycle race that also sees the occasional automotive competitor as well.
BAC recently brought a group of customers to the Isle of Man to test out its cars, and got full cooperation from the local government, which closed some roads for the event. The automaker is more or less returning the favor with the Mono police car, which will be used primarily to promote road safety. Having such an eye-catching car makes it easy to get people’s attention, Isle of Man police reason.
Exotic police cars are nothing new. While nothing beats a traditional sedan for standard police work, flashy sports cars are great for public relations. A California police department recently took delivery of a Saleen Mustang, which will be used as a rolling memorial to fallen officers. The Dubai Police maintains an impressive fleet that includes many supercars. Italy’s Highway Patrol even uses Lamborghini Huracáns for emergency medical transport.
BAC doesn’t view police cars as a growth area, but it does have big plans for the future. The company is planning a hybrid supercar to rival the likes of the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, and Porsche 918 Spyder. It may also build an all-electric version of the Mono.
