It appears to be a modest trend. Following the 2009 Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, all supercar manufacturers have recently introduced a fully open car. It started with the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 (single or two-seater), after which the Aston Martin V12 Speedster, Lamborghini SC20 and McLaren Elva were also introduced.
McLaren Elva may otherwise not be sold in the US
McLaren is the only one to now have a windscreen on its model. Are they that cowardly there in Woking? Or maybe there are customers who have asked for it? No. McLaren does this because the Elva may not be sold without a windshield in some US states.
Windscreen and wipers make the Elva 20 kilos heavier
The piece of glass, the sun visors, windshield wipers and windscreen washers make the McLaren Elva about 20 kilos heavier. Fortunately, that extra weight doesn’t get in the way of performance. The 815 hp and 800 Nm strong Elva still goes to 100 km / h in less than 3 seconds.
McLaren Elva without a windshield has a ‘virtual windshield’
The McLaren Elva without a windscreen – which costs about 1.8 million euros – is also equipped with a ‘virtual windscreen’. It uses a system of air channels and flaps to divert the incoming airflow over the cabin. According to McLaren, that at speed makes for an amazingly quiet interior.