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McLaren to start production of windshield version Elva roadster

McLaren officially announced that a windshield version of the McLaren Elva roadster will enter production. Unveiled in 2019, the Elva is an open-cockpit supercar that features Active Air Management System (AAMS), an innovative design engineering by McLaren which redirects air up and around the cabin via a flap that activates during high speeds. The system aims to provide the ultimate open-cockpit experience on a road legal 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,” 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.”

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Despite having a dedicated engineering program to optimize aerodynamics and performance, the windshield version Elva still shares all of its design with the original version Elva – both versions do not have roof, door windows, or even rear windscreen. The upcoming windshield version is also powered by the same twinturbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine rated to output 815 horsepower.

The windshieldless Elva is McLaren’s lightest road car and the windscreen version is projected to add only 20kg, even with the inclusion of electronically synchronized rain-sensing wipers, washer jets and sun visors, as well of course as the heated glass windscreen within a carbon fiber 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 opencockpit 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 first version, as does the incredible. All these prove that the addition of a windshield does not, in any way, reduce the levels of driving exhilaration the McLaren Elva has to offer.

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 sports cars 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 symbolized by these cars.

Pictured here is a prototype of the windshield version Elva created by McLaren Special Operations (MSO). This heritage livery pays tribute to Bruce McLaren’s legendary race cars.

Set to be one of the rarest McLaren models ever, no more than 149 examples of the Elva will be specified and built to customer order. The first examples of the windshield version Elva will be delivered to customers towards the end of this year.

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