McLaren video explains how glass-less Elva stays comfy via 'air bubble' of calm
By CARSIFU | 26 March 2020LONDON: The new McLaren Elva is a ferociously fast open-cockpit car; an extreme two-seater with a bespoke carbon fibre chassis and body but no roof, no windscreen and no side windows.
Helmets can be worn if preferred, but the form and sculpture of the upper cabin wraps around the driver and passenger to provide a secure environment.
A fixed windscreen derivative of the car is also available for most markets as a factory option.
The Elva is powered by a 815PS, 800Nm 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 from the same family of engines that powers the McLaren Senna and Senna GTR, and this is combined with the lightest vehicle weight of any road car produced by McLaren Automotive.
There's breathtaking performance with 0-100km/h in under three seconds; 0-200km/h quicker than the McLaren Senna, at just 6.7 seconds.
In a video posted on its Facebook fan page and YouTube channel, McLaren Automotive explains the Elva keeps you comfortable at 110kph without a windscreen.
The video shows how occupants are cocooned in a "air bubble" when driven at 100kph onwards, thanks to a world-first, the Active Air Management System (AAMS).
The system channels air through the nose of the Elva to come out of the front clamshell at high velocity ahead of the occupants before being directed up over the cockpit to create a relative "air bubble" of calm.
In the front end is a carbon fibre deflector that raises and lowers vertically when the AAMS is active, rising 150mm into the freestream to create a low-pressure zone.
As vehicle speed increases, the AAMS automatically deploys and remains active until speed reduces, at which point the deflector retracts. The system can also be button-deactivated by the driver.
In this "air bubble", even your hair-style will remain unruffled.
Only 399 units of the Elva will be produced.
Tags
Autos McLaren
Reviews
Jaecoo J7: Ready to rumble
7.6
Hyundai Ioniq 6 Max RWD driven
8.2
Proton X90 Flagship: Powerful, roomy, refined, premium appoi...
Tesla's brash Cybertruck: A blend of Wild West and space tec...
6.0
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650: Hark to the past
Ferrari Roma Spider: Open-top romp
7.2