The McLaren Elva, with its fully-open cockpit, was designed to provide the ultimate connection between the driver, the road and the elements.
Yet for some customers, the lack of a windscreen meant that the connection to the elements was perhaps a bit too extreme, even with the barrier of air provided by the Active Air Management System. And the answer to this is a version of the Elva that actually does have a windscreen. McLaren says one of the motivations in creating this version was also to meet the legal requirements in some US states.
“Created to celebrate the pure joy of driving, it’s one of the most distinctive – and exclusive – cars we have made,” said McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt.
“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”.
According to McLaren, the windscreen adds just 20 kg to the kerb weight of the Elva, which is McLaren’s lightest road car ever – thanks to its unique carbon fibre body and chassis. It’s a sophisticated windscreen too, featuring heated glass and a carbon fibre surround.
Powered by a 4,0-litre twin turbo V8 that produces 600 kW and 800 Nm, the screenless version of the McLaren Elva can dash from 0-100 km/h in just 2,8 seconds, says McLaren, and from 0-200 in 6,8 seconds.
The Elva was created as a tribute to Bruce McLaren’s iconic race cars of yore, and McLaren will be severely limiting numbers on this one, with just 149 examples set to be produced, to customer order, by McLaren Special Operations. The windscreen version will be one of the rarest McLarens ever made.