McLaren Elva: track-day missile

An awe-inspiring sports car that delivers thrills and keep the gnats out of your eyes too.

Britain has a fine tradition of producing “heroically stripped out” track-day specials, says Stephen Dobie in Top Gear. McLaren, the supercar maker based in Woking, has made a fine contribution to that tradition with the Elva, a “ferociously fast” car with an open cockpit and a worthy addition to McLaren’s top-line Ultimate Series, which includes the Senna and the Speedtail. Expect the Elva to weigh in at less than the 1,198kg claimed for the Senna, which should also make it faster. You might wonder how fast you’ll want to go given that there is no windscreen. You can request one, or wear a helmet, but “McLaren suggests you’ll need neither” thanks to its innovative Active Air Management System (AAMS).

Oncoming air is collected from the front of the car and diverted to the air vents on the bonnet, which release the collected air at higher pressures, explains Alvin Reyes on SlashGear. The effect is to create a “virtual windscreen”, which is backed up by a carbon-fibre wind deflector, which rises automatically as you drive. Given the car has a top speed of more than 200mph, this is a necessary innovation if drivers are to preserve their hairdo, not to mention their face.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

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