This limited-edition McLaren Elva wears a windscreen

McLaren Automotive will build less than 149 examples of the windshield-wearing Elva roadster. While that slightly detracts from the original Elva's open-cockpit concept, the British marque was quick to give a disclaimer. 

The car is "designed for customers who prefer to have a physical screen...as well as to meet local legal requirements in some states in the USA," McLaren said.

This Elva is also for customers who prefer the screen over "the barrier of air provided by the Active Air Management System (AAMS)" in the standard Elva, McLaren added. 

The mid-mounted, 804bhp, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine of the Elva "delivers the ultimate in driver exhilaration." The Elva's zero-to-100kph time of 2.8 seconds is equal to the hypercar Senna, McLaren said. 

The British marque said this car's target weight should only add 20 kilograms to the windshield-less Elva's 1,300 kilograms. That's even with the inclusion of  rain-sensing wipers, washer jets, sun visors, and heated glass windshield within a carbon fiber surround.

The Elva with a windshield should also equal its base car's speed and poise. After all, McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris once showed what the first Elva can do, as he went for a spin around the Silverstone Circuit.  

“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," McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said. 

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 1960s, the British brand said.

These were among the first sportscars 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."

Created as an homage to Bruce McLaren’s legendary race cars, heritage liveries like that of the Satin Casa Blue seen here have captured the imagination of Elva owners.

Demand for bespoke customization of this kind by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has produced a series of dramatic and unique cars that stand out even among one of the rarest of McLarens. No more than 149 examples of the Elva will be specified and built to customer order.

The first examples of the windshield car will be delivered to customers towards the end of 2021.

Photos from McLaren

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