McLaren Elva has neither a roof nor a windscreen (and yet everyone wants it)

The British sports car manufacturer McLaren has just presented a new supercar: the Senna-based Elva, a modern remake of the McLaren-Elva from the 60s. Only 399 copies are being built, each with a price tag of… 1.8 million euros.

Insiders of course knew that something was on the way in McLaren’s most extreme Ultimate Series, but for the average car enthusiast, the presentation of this brand new Elva was like a thunderbolt. You also need a lot of car luggage to be able to properly frame this newcomer: in fact, this Elva pays tribute to the eponymous McLaren-Elvas, feather-light racing cars that founder Bruce McLaren produced in the 1960s in collaboration with Frank G Nichols founded Elva Cars. Apparently McLaren did a lot to get rid of the Elva name, they even put a nice amount on the table to reclaim the rights to the name.

Although the Elva takes over the technical building blocks of the Senna, including a carbon fiber-built monocoque and the well-known 4-liter V8 biturbo with 815 HP and 800 Nm, the British super sportsman has become a much more radical car.

Completely in line with the British ‘light is right’ philosophy, the Elva even works without a roof or windscreen (although you can optionally order another), a ‘flaw’ that McLaren, however, absorbs with the innovative McLaren Active Air Management System (AAMS). This system with deflectors guides the air flow around the occupants so that they can experience the pure Cabrio feeling – but without annoying side effects.

McLaren is planning to limit production to 399 copies, just like the P1, Senna and Speedtail. A matter of future owners, who will have to dig up at least 1.72 million euros from their pockets, to guarantee a ‘safe’ investment…