Jay Leno hits the road in the BAC Mono [Video]

For anyone looking for the closest thing to a street-legal formula race car that money can buy, the answer is the BAC Mono.

The single-seat roadster has been on sale since 2012, and is currently in its second generation. Jay Leno recently got acquainted with the car, and had company co-founder Ian Briggs on hand to explain the ins and outs.

BAC was founded by brothers Ian and Neill Briggs in Liverpool, England, and the latest version of the their car is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 that generates a peak of 315 hp as standard and 343 hp in Mono R guise. The mid-mounted engine is mated to a 6-speed sequential transmission and spins the rear wheels only.

Thanks to a curb weight of less than 1,300 pounds, the relatively low power output still results in a power-to-weight ratio better than any hypercar on the road today. As a result, the Mono can lap many …