McLaren Elva, a $1.69 Million of history lesson

We often tend to create without caressing a tad-bit of history and this often results in near-blunders. Tempting and surreal is what history for McLaren is and they recreated a piece of their past with their tempting and surreal hypercar baptized as the ‘Elva’.

Why Elva? Because when Bruce McLaren was trying to cement himself a spot in motorsport, Elva helped them develop a prototype called the M1A. This M1A was the reason McLaren was able to develop its M6A which eventually led them towards the podium in 1967. This marked McLaren’s journey towards a much-brighter and a much independent future.

What makes this sui-generis-ickly sculpted car is the absence of a windshield and a roof bringing back the era of Sterling Moss. This isn’t the first time McLaren has done something like this, previously, McLaren developed a special edition of their SLR dedicated to Sterling Moss which was without a roof and a windscreen.

Apart from the silhouette of this car, the carbon-fiber chassis makes this car a lighter companion. Elva, which literally translates to ‘she goes’ in french is powered by a 4.0L, Twin-turbocharged V8 which can produce a whopping 804bhp of power.

The 62mph pointer is crossed under 3 seconds which is better than a track-focused Senna. Though the absence of a windshield might seem like trouble, McLaren had it covered with their AAMS(Active Air Management System). This system allows the passenger to sit inside a bubble and minimizes the interaction with outside elements. Though a fixed windscreen is offered in selected countries.
McLaren’s tradition of producing sweet-sounding V8s is now carried upon the Elva and to compliment this is a redecorated exhaust system. Topped up with electrohydraulic steering, Elva is specifically designed to increase driver engagement, unlike many manufacturers.
This conversation between human emotion and a machine is rare and speaks for the people who are still into the character of a machine rather than the spec-sheet. This car is limited to 399 units and this might be one of the last spiritually sculpted V8-driven chariots in world.

Also Read: McLaren likely to introduce a no-roof car named Speedster