The Ultimate open-top roadster experience: windscreen version of ultra-exclusive McLaren Elva enters production

Luxury supercar manufacturer McLaren Automotive will shortly commence production of the windscreen version of its Elva roadster. Designed for customers who prefer to have a physical screen rather than the barrier of air provided by the Active Air Management System (AAMS), as well as to meet local legal requirements in some states in the USA, the windscreen variant – which will be among the rarest of McLarens – is revealed today in full for the first time, with images of the prototype car.

“Super-lightweight and extremely powerful, the Elva delivers the ultimate connection between a driver, the road and the elements. Created to celebrate the pure joy of driving, it’s one of the most distinctive – and exclusive – cars we have made. Roofless and without windows, whether you opt for the screenless model with its sophisticated AAMS technology that provides an invisible barrier of air, or the windscreen version with an additional level of enclosure, this is a roadster that rewards owners with the most exhilarating of open-air driving experiences, delivered as only a McLaren can.”
Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive

While having had its own engineering programme to optimise aerodynamic and dynamic performance, the windscreen Elva shares all of the ethos and performance of the original car: neither has a roof, side windows or rear screen, which when combined with a dry lightest weight of less than 1300kg* and a mid-mounted, 815PS, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, delivers the ultimate in driver exhilaration.

The screenless Elva is McLaren Automotive’s lightest-ever road car and the target for the windscreen version is only 20kg* heavier, even with the inclusion of electronically synchronised rain-sensing wipers, washer jets and sun visors, as well of course as the heated glass windscreen within a carbon fibre surround. The Active Air Management System (AAMS) is deleted as it has no role to play in the windscreen car.

The acceleration of both versions is comparable with that of a McLaren Senna, the screenless model reaching 100km/h from standstill in 2.8 seconds* and covering 0 – 200km/h in 6.8 seconds*. Dynamic performance and vehicle stiffness also remain unchanged from the screenless car, as does the scintillating driving experience. The windscreen, which is a permanent fixture, affords greater protection from the elements but it does not in any way reduce the levels of excitement.

The Elva links McLaren’s heritage to its present and future with a name and style that recalls the McLaren-Elva race cars of the 1960’s. These were amongst the first sportscars designed and raced by Bruce McLaren and the company that he founded, and today’s Elva was created to evoke the spirit of driving enjoyment symbolised by these cars.

Created as an homage to Bruce McLaren’s legendary race cars, heritage liveries like that of the Satin Casa Blue windscreen model prototype pictured have captured the imagination of Elva owners. Demand for bespoke customisation of this kind by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has produced a series of dramatic and unique cars that stand out even among one of the rarest of McLarens – no more than 149 examples of the Elva will be specified and built to customer order.

The first examples of the windscreen Elva will be delivered to customers towards the end of this year, following personalisation by McLaren Special Operations.

*Full technical details and performance figures for the windscreen Elva are pending final validation

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Ends

Notes to editors:
A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press

About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.

Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.

Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

The company’s product portfolio of GT, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in 40 markets around the world.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.

Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car - the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™. In 2016, it announced a new hybrid hyper-GT would be engineering, confirming this next Ultimate Series car as the Speedtail in 2018.

2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the new GT and the track-only McLaren Senna GTR. It also unveiled the 620R and McLaren Elva before launching the 765LT the following year.

Most recently, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura.

The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first process and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.

McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, Gulf, Pirelli, Richard Mille and Tumi.

McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied.

Further information:

Colleen Vilela
PR & Marketing | McLaren Automotive Johannesburg

Phone:+27 (0)11 301 7000
Email: colleen@daytona.co.za

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