When he bought his BAC Mono in sunny Dubai four years ago, did Jason Goddard ever imagine that one day, back home living in England after 14 years working in the Middle East, he’d be driving it in the middle of winter on lifeless carbon brakes up the M6 to BAC’s Liverpool factory for its service?
“It was bitterly cold and a hairy drive,” he recalls. “It had been snowing the day before. There’s no roof so you have to wear a helmet and it got really annoying at one point when someone chose to block me in and drive alongside while their passenger took a video.”
Could that be the reason he’s now selling it, I ask. “Not at all. I’d just like to turn it into something else,” he replies. “I’m looking at a Lotus 3-Eleven R, which I quite like.”
Note the understatement. In fact, only after some persuading does Jason admit to currently owning no fewer than nine cars. Including the Mono, they are a Ferrari 599 GTB, an early McLaren 12C, a Caterham Seven 270R, a Mini GP2, a Renault Twizy, a Lotus Emira, a classic Land Rover Defender 110 and a Mazda MX-5-based Tipo 184 that he’s part way through building.
“It’s an eclectic mix,” he says. The Mono was registered in 2015. One day soon after buying it, he was suddenly assailed by buyer’s remorse. “I sat in it and thought: ‘What the hell have I done. I can’t see the corners!
“Fortunately, it’s fine once you get driving. It’s about getting used to a different car and for the first time it’s a little scary,” he says.
To my surprise, it has done just 1400 miles, 800 of them during Jason’s stewardship. It’s not a lot, I venture… “It was off the road for eight months and, for part of the time, was at Mountune having a misfire sorted. However, prior to that, I spent a lot of time tracking it, mainly in the Middle East, then later at Goodwood,” he says.
His Mono is powered by a Ford 2.5-litre four-cylinder Mountune Racing engine. “It’s more powerful than my Caterham but you have to get the speed up to make the aero work, at which point you can go through corners much quicker,” he says.
“It’s an amazing car to drive-the closest I reckon you’ll get to driving a Formula car on the road and that’s coming from a Caterham owner! The ride is comfortable, and when you’re strapped tightly in, the driving position is comfortable too.”
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