New Models
New Models

2021 McLaren Elva confirmed for Australia

McLaren's open-cockpit two-seater will come Down Under, albeit in limited numbers.


The 2021 McLaren Elva is the newest addition to the British manufacturer’s Ultimate Series – and a handful are bound for a selection of lucky Australian buyers.

Inspired by founder Bruce McLaren’s M1A, M1B and M1C race cars of the 1960s, the Elva is equipped with McLaren's 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 producing 600kW and 800Nm.

Boasting a bespoke carbon fibre chassis and body, the McLaren Elva is the lightest street-legal car ever built by the automotive brand, weighing in at around 1200kg.

McLaren claims the 0-100km/h sprint is covered in just under three seconds – quicker than the acclaimed McLaren Senna track-focused hypercar.

Compensating for the lack of a roof is a world-first air deflector system, designed to shelter occupants from extreme air flow during high-speed driving.

Dubbed Active Air Management System (AAMS), it enables air flowing over the front 'bonnet' to be directed up above the cabin to develop a virtual windshield, creating what the brand calls a "bubble of calm".

The deflector is automatic activated once the driver reaches speeds of over 40km/h, and extends vertically by up to 15 centimetres. The system can be manually deactivated by the driver with the push of a button. 

At the rear, the Elva features a full-width active rear spoiler, the height and angle of which are adjusted concurrently to optimise aerodynamic balance. The underfloor is flat from the front bumper to the rear axle, after which a prominent lower diffuser begins to guide air out from underneath the car and increase downforce.

The cabin is minimalist, with a compact centre console, an 8.0-inch floating infotainment system and active dynamics functions mounted to the sides of the instrument cluster for ease of reach.

Upon entry into the cabin, the instrument panel and steering wheel move simultaneously into the the dash to create additional space, while the lower sections of the seats are retracted to create room within the footwells enabling occupants to stand.

"McLaren continues to push the boundaries of supercar and hypercar development in pursuit of outstanding and unparalleled driving experiences for our customers and the McLaren Elva epitomises that pioneering spirit," said Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive.

"The McLaren-Elva M1A [Mk1] and its successors are in many ways the true spiritual forerunners of today's McLaren's – superlight, mid-engined cars with the highest levels of performance and dynamic excellence."

The Elva launched sporting the iconic Gulf racing livery, adapted to the Elva by McLaren's personalisation division, MSO. The blue and orange Gulf Oil colours first made their debut clothed over late 1960s and early 1970s Formula One, Indy and Can-Am race cars.

Homologated for all major markets, McLaren will produce only 149 Elvas globally. It's unclear how many will make it to Australia.


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Emma Notarfrancesco

Emma has been on our television screens for over a decade. Most of her time in the industry has been spent at racetracks reporting at major motorsport events in Australia - from TCR and Superbikes to Porsche Sprint Challenge and Supercars. Emma has also hosted various MotoGP and F1 events interviewing the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Jack Miller. Having previously presented on an automotive show, she made her move to the Drive family in 2020. Fiercely proud of her Italian heritage, Emma is a coffee loving, stylish-black wearing resident of Melbourne.

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