The McLaren Elva is a limited-production mid-enginesports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive. The car is the fifth addition in the McLaren Ultimate Series, joining the F1, the P1, Senna, and the Speedtail. The open-top sports car is inspired by the open top racers cars developed by Bruce McLaren in the 1960s.
Nomenclature
The name Elva means "she goes!" in French. The car is named after the lightweight early open top race cars developed by Bruce McLaren. The M1A, M1B and M1C were produced between 1964 and 1967. Due to limited staff, production was outsourced to British automobile manufacturer Elva.
Specifications
Being the company's first open top road-legal sports car, the Elva is claimed to be the lightest sports car ever produced by McLaren though the actual kerb weight is yet to be announced. The car's entire body work is made of carbon fibre including the chassis, doors and seats in order to keep the weight low. The brake rotors, which are shared with the Senna measure more than. Weight savings of about is achieved over the Senna's brake rotors by the usage of titanium brake calipers. A carbon fibre spar runs the entire length of the interior which supports the arm rest of the seats, a variety of controls and separates the driver and passenger. A six-point racing harness is optional for customers who want to take the car for track day driving. For protection against roll-over crashes, a deployable roll-over protection system is included as standard. The optional audio system has marine-grade speakers for protection against adverse weather conditions. The interior features a severally mounted touch screen to control most of the car's functions. Although the Elva has no windshield or windows, a front windshield will be added for the cars intended for the US market. The McLaren Air Active Management System channels airflow through the car's nose from an inlet in the splitter and directs it at a radius of 130-degrees in front of the occupants. This system activates at speeds up to where airflow and overall noise are high to create a comfort zone over the occupants. The system can be turned off whilst track driving so that the air channeled through the nose is sent to the engine instead. The Elva also features an active rear spoiler which also acts as an air-brake thus seeing the braking force load with the brakes. A flat undercarriage also helps in improving aerodynamics. The front clamshell is a major part of the aerodynamics package of the car. While its an integral part of the AAMS, it also features two air intakes at the front of each door which directs air to the car's dual intercoolers mounted in front of each rear wheel. The 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 rated at and of torque is shared with the Senna and the Speedtail and is the most powerful variant of McLaren's V8 engine. The engine is fitted with a flat-plane crankshaft, low-mass reciprocating components and a dry-sump lubrication system. The exhaust system is made from titanium and inconel while the exhaust tips are of a quad type and are 3D-printed. The Elva also features a full-time suspension and an electro-hydraulic steering to improve handling. The car will be built to customer specifications by McLaren's MSO department.
Performance and production
The Elva can accelerate to in less than three seconds and in in 6.7 seconds. Production was to be limited to 399 units with customer deliveries scheduled to begin in late 2020. On April 3, 2020, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt announced the production total would be reduced to 249 units, citing customer feedback encouraging exclusivity as the force behind the decision.
