The McLaren Elva: A Unique and Unparalleled Driving Experience

As I stepped inside the McLaren Elva, I was immediately struck by its sleek and sophisticated design. The interior is adorned with premium materials, including carbon fiber, which not only adds to the car's aesthetic appeal but also provides a touch of luxury and sophistication. The dashboard features a range of innovative technologies, including a central infotainment screen, climate control, and variable drift control, which allows for a unique driving experience.

One of the most striking features of the Elva is its carbon fiber construction. The chassis, doors, and even the oil filler cap are all made from this lightweight yet incredibly strong material. This not only reduces the overall weight of the car but also provides a sense of solidity and rigidity that is essential for high-performance driving. The result is a car that feels both fast and agile, with a responsive and predictable handling characteristic that is unmatched in its class.

The Elva's engine is a 4-liter twin-turbo V8, which produces a staggering amount of power. However, the car's design emphasizes comfort and practicality over outright performance, making it an ideal choice for drivers who prioritize driving experience over raw speed. The result is a car that is both exhilarating to drive and surprisingly comfortable, with a level of refinement that belies its extreme nature.

As I explored the Elva's features and capabilities, I was struck by the attention to detail that has gone into its design and construction. From the soft-close doors and ambient lighting to the innovative storage solutions and cleverly integrated technology features, every aspect of the car seems designed with the driver in mind. The result is a truly unique driving experience that sets the Elva apart from any other production car on the market.

One of the most distinctive features of the Elva is its open-top design. The roof is completely removable, allowing drivers to enjoy the wind in their hair and take in the breathtaking views that are available when cruising at high speeds. The result is a driving experience that is both exhilarating and liberating, with the sounds of the engine and the road rushing past creating an unforgettable sensory experience.

The Elva's design also features a number of cleverly integrated technologies, including a state-of-the-art infotainment system and a range of innovative safety features. The car's advanced aerodynamics are designed to provide both exceptional downforce and reduced drag, making it an ideal choice for drivers who prioritize handling and performance over speed.

As I climbed out of the Elva, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and admiration for this incredible machine. It is clear that the McLaren team has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in automotive design, creating a car that is both beautiful and functional. Whether you're a seasoned driving enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates the finer things in life, the Elva is sure to leave a lasting impression.

The Elva's specifications are truly impressive. The car is constructed from carbon fiber throughout, with a chassis that weighs just 275 kg. The engine produces an astonishing 710 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful production cars on the market. The car's advanced aerodynamics provide both exceptional downforce and reduced drag, making it an ideal choice for drivers who prioritize handling and performance over speed.

In conclusion, the McLaren Elva is a truly unique and unparalleled driving experience. Its innovative design, stunning good looks, and exceptional performance make it an absolute must-drive for anyone who appreciates high-performance cars. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or simply someone who loves to drive, the Elva is sure to leave a lasting impression.

As I looked around the garage where the Elva was on display, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The car's presence was undeniable, with its sleek design and premium materials drawing attention from drivers and spectators alike. Despite being surrounded by some of the most impressive cars in the world, the Elva stood out as a true showstopper.

Soft close doors are on display here on the Elva as well as soft clothes on both sides of this beautiful machine making it look absolutely incredible when you open the door all of that is just part of what makes it so special and truly sets it apart from anything else on offer.

As I climbed inside, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The interior is designed to provide the driver with an unparalleled driving experience, with features such as climate control, variable drift control, and advanced infotainment systems all working together to create a truly immersive environment. The soft-close doors and ambient lighting add to the overall sense of luxury and sophistication, creating an atmosphere that is both refined and comfortable.

The storage space in the Elva is cleverly designed, with a dedicated area for your smart charger and a range of other innovative solutions. This includes a unique cubbyhole on the passenger side, which provides ample storage for personal items and accessories. The car's advanced technology features are also on full display, including an illuminated steering wheel and a state-of-the-art infotainment system.

One of the most striking aspects of the Elva is its attention to detail. From the subtle stitching on the seats to the meticulously finished interior trim, every aspect of the car seems designed with the driver in mind. The result is a truly unique driving experience that sets the Elva apart from any other production car on the market.

The Elva's advanced aerodynamics are also worth noting. The car's design has been optimized for maximum downforce and reduced drag, making it an ideal choice for drivers who prioritize handling and performance over speed. This results in exceptional stability and grip, even at high speeds, creating an unforgettable driving experience that is both exhilarating and addictive.

Finally, the Elva's advanced safety features are on full display. The car's sophisticated systems include a range of innovative technologies designed to protect the driver and passengers in the event of an accident. These include advanced airbags, traction control, and electronic stability systems, all working together to provide unparalleled peace of mind for drivers.

Overall, the McLaren Elva is a truly unique and unparalleled driving experience. Its innovative design, stunning good looks, and exceptional performance make it an absolute must-drive for anyone who appreciates high-performance cars. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or simply someone who loves to drive, the Elva is sure to leave a lasting impression.

As I left the garage where the Elva was on display, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and admiration for this incredible machine. It's clear that the McLaren team has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in automotive design, creating a car that is both beautiful and functional. Whether you're a driving enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates the finer things in life, the Elva is sure to leave a lasting impression.

The McLaren Elva is truly an unparalleled driving experience that sets it apart from any other production car on the market. Its innovative design, stunning good looks, and exceptional performance make it an absolute must-drive for anyone who appreciates high-performance cars. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or simply someone who loves to drive, the Elva is sure to leave a lasting impression.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi guys i'm smee hello and welcome back to the channel where you're joining me today at the space dubai surrounded by a pretty incredible display of cars but today is going to be my first drive at the wheel of the mclaren elva the ultimate series hyper car this two-seat open raw driving experience there are only 149 of them in total in the world the lightest mclaren ever and today thanks to the space i'm gonna find out everything about this we'll talk about all the details like the active air management system how everything works on the interior and then take it out onto the roads here in dubai for a little drive to see what it's all about now there have been a few changes here at the space this magnificent private venue for car enthusiasts will have a quick look around before going into detail with the elva and taking it out to get behind the wheel and see what it's like as you may have seen in my previous videos here at the space this is in fact one of two elves that form part of the display and what a display it is itself now slightly more color coordinated as we look around but with one of the devos and the huayra roadster up at the front the two carbon series p1s laferrari aperta then we have the ferraris including now the f12 tdf we've got the sto and the race cars the rolls royce room the sf90 the g-wagons the arrival as well of the mansory porsche kn coupe we've got the orange cars with the gt black series and the aventador svj 63 roadster sandwiching the elva plus the two yellows the 918 spyder and the sls black series but it's all about this today so let's take a full look here at the mclaren elva it is in the mclaren ultimate series line so the p1 the cena the speed tail and most recently the elva initially mclaren were going to make 399 of the cars but they later adjusted that down to 249 before eventually going down to 149 two of which of course sits here in this display it models itself very much on this open driving experience linking back in some ways to the can-am race cars for example but part of a resurgence really of this style of car we saw the slr sterling moss just shy of a decade ago but then more recently the ferrari monza the sp1 and the sp2 the aston martin v12 speedster and of course also the mclaren elva it is mclaren's lightest car ever we have a development of that engine the four liter twin turbocharged v8 sitting mid-engined of course unlike the ferrari and aston martin equivalents which have the engines up front we've got the mid-engine configuration here with 815 horsepower and 800 newton meters all going to the rear wheels through the seven-speed dual clutch gearbox but it means thanks to the lightweight this will do the zero to 100 kilometer per hour or 62 mile per hour sprint in just 2.8 seconds and it will do the zero to 200 kilometer per hour or 124 mile per hour sprint in only 6.7 which is lightning fast and i can imagine with the open experience that will be quite something now of course there's a lot of clever technology beyond the use of carbon fiber the 3d printed exhaust tips and for example up front we have the aams the active air management system which effectively raises this front part to create an oasis of calm as they call it of karma air so the way that works is by channeling air through the front coming up here having a deflector at the front so it means the faster air arriving can be pushed up and over the cabin so effectively you have reduced buffeting when you're driving in this fantastically open cabin look at this you have the dihedral doors in fact just to open these up quickly there's a button just on the inside the doors open out like mclaren's have traditionally done you've got the carbon fiber tub the whole car built around carbon fiber effectively these seats saving some weight as well you can see the slightly shorter bases which make in entry and exit of the car a little bit easier all of the steering column including the active dynamics panel controls for the handling and the powertrain actually move with the wheel if you move and adjust this it all shuffles together you've got that fixed screen in the center though offering all of your infotainment and additional details the name elva itself by the way actually comes from the company who were responsible for constructing the chassis back in the 1960s of the mclaren m1a m1b m1c race cars mclaren had the rights to that and i have the rights to it and have used it in the obviously naming of this particular car the ultimate series cars often wearing names that stand out cena speed tail elva now for example we've got an active rear spoiler which also works as an air brake pitching itself up forwards when you go hard on the brakes you can see through to the engine mounted back in here you have a small storage space area underneath those rear buttresses and then back here you've got the quad tail pipes two out the back two here on the rear deck as well so i imagine if this gets warm that will probably make some pretty cool fire or flame displays out the back a lot going on down here with the diffuser and the aero work as you can see but we're going to be going out in this in a moment i do want to show you a lot more through for example you've got these storage buckets on each side we've got the armrest central console we need to get the car fired up we need to head on out so that means climbing on board and also check this out check out the air management here and the way this works the way you've got these channels that go all the way through the doors to bring the air in over the bonnet through the doors in towards the intercoolers or depending what needs cooling but to climb in it's effectively one step in slide yourself down and then seated with this view this open view and yes i will need to wear a helmet when driving this will not be much fun you pull the door down by grabbing here by the door handle by the air conditioning vent you do have soft clothes i think i've had the door open just a touch too long but pull that down shut it up you've got comfort access so you can pull all of this together and this is where as i said to shuffle your driving modes you literally can reach without even taking your hand off the wheel you've got the rocker shifter system for the gearbox so you can either press up or down from either side depending what you want and then you've got the magic red button in the center to start it up so let's do exactly this and fire up the mclaren elver there we go a feeling of power from behind a feeling that this means business a feeling that is going to be quite spectacular out on the roads i'm just looking and taking in where i'm sat here you can see the rev counter artificially reduced initially as we're all cold but this eight inch digital display sitting behind the steering wheel as you do adjust the steering column this all moves together the air vents are all very sportily designed lots of carbon fiber around as you can see the seats which you can slide forwards and backwards and then this view behind as well but it's going to be time in a second so let's get ready to take out the mclaren elva my first drive in the latest mclaren ultimate series here we are then the mclaren elva now i am wearing a helmet i suppose technically you could drive it just wearing sunglasses but i feel that the wind buffeting would be moderately insane if you were to do that now i do have a microphone kind of wedged inside my visor so i hope you're able to hear me clearly i apologize in advance if not and i tell you what at slow speed like this just pulling away normally it actually feels pretty civilized now this is where we can press the button and the shield comes up in front wow that makes such a big difference straight back down instantly feel the buffing obviously around my neck pop it back up and everything is so much smoother it's amazing how quickly that gives you a difference obviously this is driving at slow speeds now we've got the lift system up to go over the speed bump no such thing as a uh rear view mirror in here i suppose technically you just kind of look behind you familiar instant feel obviously i'm lucky to have the center in my garage which this heavily shares i suppose a lot of dynamic styles and controls and feel auto lowering as we build up the speed a little bit i mean this feels like a pretty bizarre thing to be driving right now this feels totally i mean i'm open i'm completely open to the elements but obviously helmeted it's a bit like i guess driving a motorcycle i have to confess i have not really done much by way of motorcycles just as we head out at 80 kilometers per hour certainly feeling a little bit more of the wind buffeting at this kind of speed i feel like this is a car that you want to enjoy more in the slower type environments but i want to pop it up into well let's go sport mode on handling and on powertrain and manual an esc dynamic just to get a slightly more audible experience from it oh that sound is cool yeah i feel if i was wearing just sunglasses i would feel very buffeted right now wow okay watch out driving here is crazy a big part of me just wants to double check and make sure that i've got everything like secure in here that my wallet isn't going to go flying out of my pocket or something like that but it's fairly calm on my face i don't feel massively wind buffeted obviously inside the helmet the cracks on the shift i mean not that you can hear a lot of the engine sound obviously with this setup you're basically experiencing a whole lot of wind but just enjoying an initial first sense of what this car is about to be honest 100 kilometers an hour cruising and yeah i feel my head being pushed around and buffeted you know this car can go ludicrously fast but i think you'd probably want to drive it at slower speeds i mean if you're fully going out for the track for that experience and that's what you're after then no doubt it's truly fabulous and just drop it down second gear for a moment it's really fast just babying the revs on it but when you go below 60 kilometers an hour let's say 40 miles an hour that's where you get this calm you get this unusual sense of calm inside the car and my word does it feel good i mean it's just a totally unusual setup and scenario and feeling and just being here like this sat open to the elements and like i say here you don't really feel that much wind put your hand up and you start to feel a whole lot more from everything around and i mean if you saw somebody driving a car like this you'd just be confused what is that what is that ridiculous thing it is quite noisy at slow speed i mean obviously the engine's right behind me and oh this is ridiculous this is absolutely ridiculous i think we need the lift system again for the next bump carefully does it oh this is amazing i'm absolutely loving it right now the feeling of grip mclarens always do this wonderfully the front end the steering feel the feedback hydraulic system those shift cracks what a monumentally awesome experience it's very different to the monza i mean obviously the configuration of the powertrain having an engine behind instead of an engine up front is going to fundamentally change that from the beginning but this system back up for all the uh lovely speed bumps i'm enjoying it more on this area of slightly slower roads rather than the full-on motorway type experience it's completely different kind of car and driving of course but i feel like this is where this thing's much more at home through the corners okay this is this is really cool this is i mean i'm probably getting a bit sunburned but right now that doesn't matter because it's so much fun and so completely unusual the life is brilliant i feel almost like i've forgotten something like i've forgotten to put the roof on my car or something moderately ridiculous like that now if i want to go up into track mode quick flick of the button on the powertrain and we turn the other way quick flick for the handling it will adjust the hydraulic suspension and get everything set up even more dynamically thankfully the lift in here is just one single press at the bottom unlike the center where you have to go into the mode and then up and down which just makes it that little bit more complicated this is moderately ridiculous i mean i knew it would be cool from my experience driving in the monza but it's really and i've been as a passenger in the slr sterling moss which is obviously quite a similar concept albeit again with the engine up front this is unique in terms of being a mid-engine to completely permanently open vehicle oh it's so unbelievably pinpoint sharp and planted i mean mclaren always get this so right they make these cars that are just a delight to drive yes they can be criticized for basically reusing the same kind of platform and setup you know four liter twin turbo v8 carbon tub hydraulic steering dual clutch gearbox it's a very consistent formula but when it's a formula that works as well as it does why change anything why deviate from what you know customers enjoy and what you know works and what at the end of the day creates a really really really enjoyable package i mean just and i'm barely scratching on the surface of the performance envelope of this because it offers so much that driving around like this is always going to be a case of taking it easy and you know just cruising around town effectively and you know i like this i just i just feel like it's genuine spaceship i mean this in the center is so incredibly different considering you could argue that there are many ways in which they're very similar but the absence of a roof and you know slightly less downforce i imagine this will be a bit of a hoot if you wanted to slide it around and misbehave with it just throw it into a corner and it feels so light and agile and nimble and then you do that and it's just wow just absolute wow is all you can say because it's stratospherically fast it's it's really hard i think to give this perspective because you can hear me talk about it but second gear a little bit frantic little bit frantic so this is an esc dynamic you have various different stages of traction if you have it fully on the car tries to nanny you obviously because with this amount of power you need to watch yourself um they know that when they're creating a car like this if you go into dynamic it lets you use a little bit more and lets you get a little bit hairy but still at the end of the day is going to keep you in check if you turn it fully off is where well at the end of the day you're a braver man than i am because 815 horsepower in a car that weighs less than 1300 kilos traction off rear-wheel drive i'm not sure that's a very sensible approach oh my goodness the sounds that it makes as well the sights the sounds the experience it's an experience that's what they were going for with this and that is absolutely what they have done there's only one problem with how good this is to me which is the price tag the elva was a clean double to the mclaren center these cost 1.425 million pounds versus 750 000 pounds as the base price for the center so it's a lot of money for the car it's a lot of money from the outset obviously with so few made that adds some value given the rarity and the exclusivity oh a cat just ran across the motorway slip road thankfully managed to miss it because we're now out i mean there's nothing else that does that and yeah okay the monza also has 800 horsepower but it doesn't have a mid-engine setup and that's obviously the supercar feel and this is proper supercar feel it really is you know but now i'm going fast again or faster i should say i'm feeling the wind big time above 100 kilometers an hour your head starts to be shaking all over the place players so that's certainly you know not where you want to spend a lot of time but for a mountain pass drive you imagine this and you know i guess at higher speeds like i said earlier if you're on track you're going to enjoy it because you're there for that experience so very crazy that they decided to make this it's a huge thanks to the space that i'm driving this just slightly annoying with all the speed bumps and i also obviously hope that you've been able to hear me properly it feels like a big caterham you know familiar with small british sports cars it's that kind of ilk caterham doncavort you know little lotus it feels small it feels nimble it feels alive it feels very lively yet it's at this level of power and this level of performance and this level of exclusivity and price point of course with that what a fantastic fantastic drive in a completely bizarre car that i'd love to spend some more time with i i do think without the helmet it would be quite the uh challenging experience on the brain what i'm gonna do is pop it all back into comfort and soften everything there we go comfort mode comfort mode all in comfort mode and uh back into auto and back into full esc so many buttons and switches and things as we're now gonna head back towards the space with 15 or so kilometers at the wheel of the mclaren elva and i have a big smile on my face what a crazy driving experience back at the space and i've had a little bit of time to cool down because unsurprisingly if you drive a car that is completely open to the elements completely exposed to the sunshine here in the middle of the day in the middle east in the uae and 30 something degrees it's pretty toasty anyway i was also wearing a helmet that didn't help but i do have to say that the wind buffeting is far less than you'd expect this is some very clever trickery that they've got up to and i want to talk a little bit more about that a few more surprises and secrets about the elver as well and also reflect a little bit on the drive now that i've had a bit more time to process it also but let's take a full look around this of course the bodywork is completely carbon fiber the full carbon fiber front clam shell as you'll notice no separate joint lines for bumpers or wing panels but if you come right down and have a peek in through the front it effectively has this very large mouth which is all to do with the airflow management whether that's for the cooling or to help with the aams system that you have here now this piece actually rises about 15 centimeters up as you've seen while driving and does an amazing job of keeping it very calm inside the cabin i say inside the cabin inside the space where the passenger driver and passenger are seated now as we come around the car it's all of this clever aero the way everything is guided and channeled through the bodywork you might be wondering about this little piece on the front like on the center you press here open this up that's where you have your hydraulic steering fluid and your brake fluid no windscreen washer fluid obviously given the lack of a windscreen but that piece just at the very front as we come around you can see some of the shapes and the way you have these louvers to reduce the swelling air inside the wheel arches the way it's very heavily sculpted you've got the carbon fiber just around the outside of that area too i want to pop open the buttresses obviously you have these each uh behind the driver on the passenger and i've got the key for the car just here the elbow badge on the back same key as per the center and you press and hold here and this will pop itself open and you can lift it up and inside here you have a little bit of storage space you can put the helmet just inside there as we have there's a dedicated space here for your smart charger your ctek charger and you've also got the speakers going on back here which is quite cool the oil filler as well and obviously all of this is carbon fiber if we close that it also has soft close gently into place and it tucks down both sides that has soft closed the doors have soft clothes it's all very nicely finished not too much of a weight penalty to add that and obviously when you have the doors fully open they do have quite the dramatic effect as well which is a big part of it carbon everywhere these seats which i find quite supportive and comfortable obviously they do have that shorter base which is something you notice when driving your knees feel a bit more like they're floating in the air in front but obviously fitting very nicely inside the cabin reducing weight which is at the end of the day what this car is all about soft clothes on the doors back in as well if you come round towards the rear the illuminated engine bay as mclaren first introduced with the 720s where you can see a small part of that four liter twin turbo v8 you can't really access it that has to be done by the dealers so pretty much that's all you're going to see of it when looking around the car and obviously the wing at the moment sitting raised it can go down flush or it can be in the air brake position as well and these very nicely integrated running lights tail lights around the back through the middle of all of this mesh where you can see through and see a lot of what's going on inside this the inner workings of the elva and the diffuser back here too so no doubt it is a very very special car no question about that specific wheel design even lighter brake rotors than the center the kilo lighter as it happens fairly large wheels i think for this kind of car inside just to show it's a little bit more of the tech side of things and what it's like when you're actually in here because it is all quite unique you have the chassis plaque just there as per the other mclaren models this storage cubby as i said actually goes quite a far distance back inside on yourself there same over for the passenger side if we just wake it up for a moment things illuminate and you have the central infotainment screen with your climate control and all of your settings at the moment the screen is on quite dim i imagine that's a setting that's just got it closed down at the moment for your media your phone navigation audio and your usual settings and your variable drift control which is only available when the engine is actually running so we can't have a play through that right now just on the dash in front of us you can get a feel for what that looks like and obviously down at the bottom is where you've got handling and powertrain and those various controls so one more press that turns off for the time being so let me climb back out of the elver i really do think it manages to stand out even in a garage like this displaying a tremendous lineup of the most amazing cars in the world but i promised a few more final thoughts on the drive as well and i guess my main takeaway is that this is a unique proposition there's nothing else like this mid-engined this amount of power open experience but in a world where there is also the monza i feel that you're never going to drive a car like this at mac 10 you're going to enjoy pootling around fairly gently or enjoying a mountain pass up to 100 kilometers per hour because even with a helmet on you're feeling the forces on your neck at anything above that and if you're going to be doing that you're not going for outright performance which means the benefits of a mid-engine setup aren't there so much you want a more balanced perhaps lazier drive and perhaps that's what the monza and i suppose the v12 speed still i haven't driven it myself actually offer i mean there's no question this is a cool thing this is an undeniably incredibly cool car and there are 149 very lucky owners or rather there are two that are here and who knows what else is around the world but as a you know as a car it's a funny one and perhaps that's why 149 is the final number anyway i would like to say again a huge thank you to the team here at space for the opportunity today to come by to have a look around and to experience the fabulous mclaren elva that's it for this time though thank you very much for watching as always guys do check out the pages for the space on instagram youtube facebook all the links are down below and i will see you again very soon cheers youhi guys i'm smee hello and welcome back to the channel where you're joining me today at the space dubai surrounded by a pretty incredible display of cars but today is going to be my first drive at the wheel of the mclaren elva the ultimate series hyper car this two-seat open raw driving experience there are only 149 of them in total in the world the lightest mclaren ever and today thanks to the space i'm gonna find out everything about this we'll talk about all the details like the active air management system how everything works on the interior and then take it out onto the roads here in dubai for a little drive to see what it's all about now there have been a few changes here at the space this magnificent private venue for car enthusiasts will have a quick look around before going into detail with the elva and taking it out to get behind the wheel and see what it's like as you may have seen in my previous videos here at the space this is in fact one of two elves that form part of the display and what a display it is itself now slightly more color coordinated as we look around but with one of the devos and the huayra roadster up at the front the two carbon series p1s laferrari aperta then we have the ferraris including now the f12 tdf we've got the sto and the race cars the rolls royce room the sf90 the g-wagons the arrival as well of the mansory porsche kn coupe we've got the orange cars with the gt black series and the aventador svj 63 roadster sandwiching the elva plus the two yellows the 918 spyder and the sls black series but it's all about this today so let's take a full look here at the mclaren elva it is in the mclaren ultimate series line so the p1 the cena the speed tail and most recently the elva initially mclaren were going to make 399 of the cars but they later adjusted that down to 249 before eventually going down to 149 two of which of course sits here in this display it models itself very much on this open driving experience linking back in some ways to the can-am race cars for example but part of a resurgence really of this style of car we saw the slr sterling moss just shy of a decade ago but then more recently the ferrari monza the sp1 and the sp2 the aston martin v12 speedster and of course also the mclaren elva it is mclaren's lightest car ever we have a development of that engine the four liter twin turbocharged v8 sitting mid-engined of course unlike the ferrari and aston martin equivalents which have the engines up front we've got the mid-engine configuration here with 815 horsepower and 800 newton meters all going to the rear wheels through the seven-speed dual clutch gearbox but it means thanks to the lightweight this will do the zero to 100 kilometer per hour or 62 mile per hour sprint in just 2.8 seconds and it will do the zero to 200 kilometer per hour or 124 mile per hour sprint in only 6.7 which is lightning fast and i can imagine with the open experience that will be quite something now of course there's a lot of clever technology beyond the use of carbon fiber the 3d printed exhaust tips and for example up front we have the aams the active air management system which effectively raises this front part to create an oasis of calm as they call it of karma air so the way that works is by channeling air through the front coming up here having a deflector at the front so it means the faster air arriving can be pushed up and over the cabin so effectively you have reduced buffeting when you're driving in this fantastically open cabin look at this you have the dihedral doors in fact just to open these up quickly there's a button just on the inside the doors open out like mclaren's have traditionally done you've got the carbon fiber tub the whole car built around carbon fiber effectively these seats saving some weight as well you can see the slightly shorter bases which make in entry and exit of the car a little bit easier all of the steering column including the active dynamics panel controls for the handling and the powertrain actually move with the wheel if you move and adjust this it all shuffles together you've got that fixed screen in the center though offering all of your infotainment and additional details the name elva itself by the way actually comes from the company who were responsible for constructing the chassis back in the 1960s of the mclaren m1a m1b m1c race cars mclaren had the rights to that and i have the rights to it and have used it in the obviously naming of this particular car the ultimate series cars often wearing names that stand out cena speed tail elva now for example we've got an active rear spoiler which also works as an air brake pitching itself up forwards when you go hard on the brakes you can see through to the engine mounted back in here you have a small storage space area underneath those rear buttresses and then back here you've got the quad tail pipes two out the back two here on the rear deck as well so i imagine if this gets warm that will probably make some pretty cool fire or flame displays out the back a lot going on down here with the diffuser and the aero work as you can see but we're going to be going out in this in a moment i do want to show you a lot more through for example you've got these storage buckets on each side we've got the armrest central console we need to get the car fired up we need to head on out so that means climbing on board and also check this out check out the air management here and the way this works the way you've got these channels that go all the way through the doors to bring the air in over the bonnet through the doors in towards the intercoolers or depending what needs cooling but to climb in it's effectively one step in slide yourself down and then seated with this view this open view and yes i will need to wear a helmet when driving this will not be much fun you pull the door down by grabbing here by the door handle by the air conditioning vent you do have soft clothes i think i've had the door open just a touch too long but pull that down shut it up you've got comfort access so you can pull all of this together and this is where as i said to shuffle your driving modes you literally can reach without even taking your hand off the wheel you've got the rocker shifter system for the gearbox so you can either press up or down from either side depending what you want and then you've got the magic red button in the center to start it up so let's do exactly this and fire up the mclaren elver there we go a feeling of power from behind a feeling that this means business a feeling that is going to be quite spectacular out on the roads i'm just looking and taking in where i'm sat here you can see the rev counter artificially reduced initially as we're all cold but this eight inch digital display sitting behind the steering wheel as you do adjust the steering column this all moves together the air vents are all very sportily designed lots of carbon fiber around as you can see the seats which you can slide forwards and backwards and then this view behind as well but it's going to be time in a second so let's get ready to take out the mclaren elva my first drive in the latest mclaren ultimate series here we are then the mclaren elva now i am wearing a helmet i suppose technically you could drive it just wearing sunglasses but i feel that the wind buffeting would be moderately insane if you were to do that now i do have a microphone kind of wedged inside my visor so i hope you're able to hear me clearly i apologize in advance if not and i tell you what at slow speed like this just pulling away normally it actually feels pretty civilized now this is where we can press the button and the shield comes up in front wow that makes such a big difference straight back down instantly feel the buffing obviously around my neck pop it back up and everything is so much smoother it's amazing how quickly that gives you a difference obviously this is driving at slow speeds now we've got the lift system up to go over the speed bump no such thing as a uh rear view mirror in here i suppose technically you just kind of look behind you familiar instant feel obviously i'm lucky to have the center in my garage which this heavily shares i suppose a lot of dynamic styles and controls and feel auto lowering as we build up the speed a little bit i mean this feels like a pretty bizarre thing to be driving right now this feels totally i mean i'm open i'm completely open to the elements but obviously helmeted it's a bit like i guess driving a motorcycle i have to confess i have not really done much by way of motorcycles just as we head out at 80 kilometers per hour certainly feeling a little bit more of the wind buffeting at this kind of speed i feel like this is a car that you want to enjoy more in the slower type environments but i want to pop it up into well let's go sport mode on handling and on powertrain and manual an esc dynamic just to get a slightly more audible experience from it oh that sound is cool yeah i feel if i was wearing just sunglasses i would feel very buffeted right now wow okay watch out driving here is crazy a big part of me just wants to double check and make sure that i've got everything like secure in here that my wallet isn't going to go flying out of my pocket or something like that but it's fairly calm on my face i don't feel massively wind buffeted obviously inside the helmet the cracks on the shift i mean not that you can hear a lot of the engine sound obviously with this setup you're basically experiencing a whole lot of wind but just enjoying an initial first sense of what this car is about to be honest 100 kilometers an hour cruising and yeah i feel my head being pushed around and buffeted you know this car can go ludicrously fast but i think you'd probably want to drive it at slower speeds i mean if you're fully going out for the track for that experience and that's what you're after then no doubt it's truly fabulous and just drop it down second gear for a moment it's really fast just babying the revs on it but when you go below 60 kilometers an hour let's say 40 miles an hour that's where you get this calm you get this unusual sense of calm inside the car and my word does it feel good i mean it's just a totally unusual setup and scenario and feeling and just being here like this sat open to the elements and like i say here you don't really feel that much wind put your hand up and you start to feel a whole lot more from everything around and i mean if you saw somebody driving a car like this you'd just be confused what is that what is that ridiculous thing it is quite noisy at slow speed i mean obviously the engine's right behind me and oh this is ridiculous this is absolutely ridiculous i think we need the lift system again for the next bump carefully does it oh this is amazing i'm absolutely loving it right now the feeling of grip mclarens always do this wonderfully the front end the steering feel the feedback hydraulic system those shift cracks what a monumentally awesome experience it's very different to the monza i mean obviously the configuration of the powertrain having an engine behind instead of an engine up front is going to fundamentally change that from the beginning but this system back up for all the uh lovely speed bumps i'm enjoying it more on this area of slightly slower roads rather than the full-on motorway type experience it's completely different kind of car and driving of course but i feel like this is where this thing's much more at home through the corners okay this is this is really cool this is i mean i'm probably getting a bit sunburned but right now that doesn't matter because it's so much fun and so completely unusual the life is brilliant i feel almost like i've forgotten something like i've forgotten to put the roof on my car or something moderately ridiculous like that now if i want to go up into track mode quick flick of the button on the powertrain and we turn the other way quick flick for the handling it will adjust the hydraulic suspension and get everything set up even more dynamically thankfully the lift in here is just one single press at the bottom unlike the center where you have to go into the mode and then up and down which just makes it that little bit more complicated this is moderately ridiculous i mean i knew it would be cool from my experience driving in the monza but it's really and i've been as a passenger in the slr sterling moss which is obviously quite a similar concept albeit again with the engine up front this is unique in terms of being a mid-engine to completely permanently open vehicle oh it's so unbelievably pinpoint sharp and planted i mean mclaren always get this so right they make these cars that are just a delight to drive yes they can be criticized for basically reusing the same kind of platform and setup you know four liter twin turbo v8 carbon tub hydraulic steering dual clutch gearbox it's a very consistent formula but when it's a formula that works as well as it does why change anything why deviate from what you know customers enjoy and what you know works and what at the end of the day creates a really really really enjoyable package i mean just and i'm barely scratching on the surface of the performance envelope of this because it offers so much that driving around like this is always going to be a case of taking it easy and you know just cruising around town effectively and you know i like this i just i just feel like it's genuine spaceship i mean this in the center is so incredibly different considering you could argue that there are many ways in which they're very similar but the absence of a roof and you know slightly less downforce i imagine this will be a bit of a hoot if you wanted to slide it around and misbehave with it just throw it into a corner and it feels so light and agile and nimble and then you do that and it's just wow just absolute wow is all you can say because it's stratospherically fast it's it's really hard i think to give this perspective because you can hear me talk about it but second gear a little bit frantic little bit frantic so this is an esc dynamic you have various different stages of traction if you have it fully on the car tries to nanny you obviously because with this amount of power you need to watch yourself um they know that when they're creating a car like this if you go into dynamic it lets you use a little bit more and lets you get a little bit hairy but still at the end of the day is going to keep you in check if you turn it fully off is where well at the end of the day you're a braver man than i am because 815 horsepower in a car that weighs less than 1300 kilos traction off rear-wheel drive i'm not sure that's a very sensible approach oh my goodness the sounds that it makes as well the sights the sounds the experience it's an experience that's what they were going for with this and that is absolutely what they have done there's only one problem with how good this is to me which is the price tag the elva was a clean double to the mclaren center these cost 1.425 million pounds versus 750 000 pounds as the base price for the center so it's a lot of money for the car it's a lot of money from the outset obviously with so few made that adds some value given the rarity and the exclusivity oh a cat just ran across the motorway slip road thankfully managed to miss it because we're now out i mean there's nothing else that does that and yeah okay the monza also has 800 horsepower but it doesn't have a mid-engine setup and that's obviously the supercar feel and this is proper supercar feel it really is you know but now i'm going fast again or faster i should say i'm feeling the wind big time above 100 kilometers an hour your head starts to be shaking all over the place players so that's certainly you know not where you want to spend a lot of time but for a mountain pass drive you imagine this and you know i guess at higher speeds like i said earlier if you're on track you're going to enjoy it because you're there for that experience so very crazy that they decided to make this it's a huge thanks to the space that i'm driving this just slightly annoying with all the speed bumps and i also obviously hope that you've been able to hear me properly it feels like a big caterham you know familiar with small british sports cars it's that kind of ilk caterham doncavort you know little lotus it feels small it feels nimble it feels alive it feels very lively yet it's at this level of power and this level of performance and this level of exclusivity and price point of course with that what a fantastic fantastic drive in a completely bizarre car that i'd love to spend some more time with i i do think without the helmet it would be quite the uh challenging experience on the brain what i'm gonna do is pop it all back into comfort and soften everything there we go comfort mode comfort mode all in comfort mode and uh back into auto and back into full esc so many buttons and switches and things as we're now gonna head back towards the space with 15 or so kilometers at the wheel of the mclaren elva and i have a big smile on my face what a crazy driving experience back at the space and i've had a little bit of time to cool down because unsurprisingly if you drive a car that is completely open to the elements completely exposed to the sunshine here in the middle of the day in the middle east in the uae and 30 something degrees it's pretty toasty anyway i was also wearing a helmet that didn't help but i do have to say that the wind buffeting is far less than you'd expect this is some very clever trickery that they've got up to and i want to talk a little bit more about that a few more surprises and secrets about the elver as well and also reflect a little bit on the drive now that i've had a bit more time to process it also but let's take a full look around this of course the bodywork is completely carbon fiber the full carbon fiber front clam shell as you'll notice no separate joint lines for bumpers or wing panels but if you come right down and have a peek in through the front it effectively has this very large mouth which is all to do with the airflow management whether that's for the cooling or to help with the aams system that you have here now this piece actually rises about 15 centimeters up as you've seen while driving and does an amazing job of keeping it very calm inside the cabin i say inside the cabin inside the space where the passenger driver and passenger are seated now as we come around the car it's all of this clever aero the way everything is guided and channeled through the bodywork you might be wondering about this little piece on the front like on the center you press here open this up that's where you have your hydraulic steering fluid and your brake fluid no windscreen washer fluid obviously given the lack of a windscreen but that piece just at the very front as we come around you can see some of the shapes and the way you have these louvers to reduce the swelling air inside the wheel arches the way it's very heavily sculpted you've got the carbon fiber just around the outside of that area too i want to pop open the buttresses obviously you have these each uh behind the driver on the passenger and i've got the key for the car just here the elbow badge on the back same key as per the center and you press and hold here and this will pop itself open and you can lift it up and inside here you have a little bit of storage space you can put the helmet just inside there as we have there's a dedicated space here for your smart charger your ctek charger and you've also got the speakers going on back here which is quite cool the oil filler as well and obviously all of this is carbon fiber if we close that it also has soft close gently into place and it tucks down both sides that has soft closed the doors have soft clothes it's all very nicely finished not too much of a weight penalty to add that and obviously when you have the doors fully open they do have quite the dramatic effect as well which is a big part of it carbon everywhere these seats which i find quite supportive and comfortable obviously they do have that shorter base which is something you notice when driving your knees feel a bit more like they're floating in the air in front but obviously fitting very nicely inside the cabin reducing weight which is at the end of the day what this car is all about soft clothes on the doors back in as well if you come round towards the rear the illuminated engine bay as mclaren first introduced with the 720s where you can see a small part of that four liter twin turbo v8 you can't really access it that has to be done by the dealers so pretty much that's all you're going to see of it when looking around the car and obviously the wing at the moment sitting raised it can go down flush or it can be in the air brake position as well and these very nicely integrated running lights tail lights around the back through the middle of all of this mesh where you can see through and see a lot of what's going on inside this the inner workings of the elva and the diffuser back here too so no doubt it is a very very special car no question about that specific wheel design even lighter brake rotors than the center the kilo lighter as it happens fairly large wheels i think for this kind of car inside just to show it's a little bit more of the tech side of things and what it's like when you're actually in here because it is all quite unique you have the chassis plaque just there as per the other mclaren models this storage cubby as i said actually goes quite a far distance back inside on yourself there same over for the passenger side if we just wake it up for a moment things illuminate and you have the central infotainment screen with your climate control and all of your settings at the moment the screen is on quite dim i imagine that's a setting that's just got it closed down at the moment for your media your phone navigation audio and your usual settings and your variable drift control which is only available when the engine is actually running so we can't have a play through that right now just on the dash in front of us you can get a feel for what that looks like and obviously down at the bottom is where you've got handling and powertrain and those various controls so one more press that turns off for the time being so let me climb back out of the elver i really do think it manages to stand out even in a garage like this displaying a tremendous lineup of the most amazing cars in the world but i promised a few more final thoughts on the drive as well and i guess my main takeaway is that this is a unique proposition there's nothing else like this mid-engined this amount of power open experience but in a world where there is also the monza i feel that you're never going to drive a car like this at mac 10 you're going to enjoy pootling around fairly gently or enjoying a mountain pass up to 100 kilometers per hour because even with a helmet on you're feeling the forces on your neck at anything above that and if you're going to be doing that you're not going for outright performance which means the benefits of a mid-engine setup aren't there so much you want a more balanced perhaps lazier drive and perhaps that's what the monza and i suppose the v12 speed still i haven't driven it myself actually offer i mean there's no question this is a cool thing this is an undeniably incredibly cool car and there are 149 very lucky owners or rather there are two that are here and who knows what else is around the world but as a you know as a car it's a funny one and perhaps that's why 149 is the final number anyway i would like to say again a huge thank you to the team here at space for the opportunity today to come by to have a look around and to experience the fabulous mclaren elva that's it for this time though thank you very much for watching as always guys do check out the pages for the space on instagram youtube facebook all the links are down below and i will see you again very soon cheers you\n"