McLaren Elva review

Cash in your crypto and you can still get one. Amazingly, unlike a lot of exclusive cars that are sold out before we’ve even seen them, not all Elvas have owners – even having been watered down to just 149 units and now being offered with an optional windscreen. 

Yep, McLaren will now happily build you an Elva with a windscreen, washer jets, sun visors and wipers instead of its impressive, but not infallible, Active Air Management System (AAMS). The windscreen-equipped Elva still does without a roof or side windows, mind, and there is a slight weight penalty.

But to us, it completely misses the point. Just get a 720S Spider. A lot of the £1,425,000 you spend on an Elva is made up by the novelty and experience of not having a screen, something others simply can’t offer.

If you do decide to buy an Elva, McLaren offers some accessories to make the whole turbulence issue a bit more manageable for your eyeballs. At a minimum, you need some sunglasses to drive the thing otherwise tears will be streaming down your face quicker than listening to an Adele album after three litres of gin.

But being McLaren, they don’t want you in some Kanye shutter shades, so they have partnered with the company that makes ballistic glasses for the US Military and skydivers with reactive lenses. They look a bit suspect to be honest. But there’s also some bespoke, aerodynamically sculpted Bell helmets that create their own downforce so you don’t splutter maniacally while attempting the Elva’s 208mph top speed.

But prepare to be cold. Amazingly, given McLaren went to all the effort to engineer a wind-shifting system to redirect air around you, we’re amazed they didn’t bother with heated seats or even some vents near your knuckles to warm your hands. Even Caterhams do that… and they’re prehistoric. I’m sure they’ll be some McLaren fleeces in the gift shop though.

As always, if you want to ramp up the price of your purchase further, McLaren’s MSO division is on hand to customise your Elva however your deep pockets will desire, including heritage liveries from Gulf, Bruce McLaren’s superlight M1A and the all-conquering Can-Am icon of 1967, the M6A.