Taking inspiration from Bruce Mclaren’s open-top race cars, McLaren Automotive has created the McLaren Elva: the fifth car in their McLaren Ultimate Series. Powered by a 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the Elva generates roughly 804 hp and 590 ft-lb of torque. This engine is shared by the McLaren Senna and the McLaren Speedtail, but the Elva is the lightest road car built by McLaren at approximately 2,798 lbs. The most notable feature of this car is not the power or the weight, but the Elva is the carrier of the world’s first ‘invisible’ windshield.
As you glance at the Elva’s sleek body, you might notice an important feature missing: the windshield. But how would drivers be protected from the high-speed winds that usually bounce off windshields? The answer: McLaren’s Active Air Management System(AAMS). Housed in the front of the car, the AAMS utilizes aerodynamics to give drivers an immersive, open-top experience.
The AAMS channels air through an inlet above the front splitter and shoots it out of vents in the hood at high speeds. This channeled air collides with the air above it and directs it upwards, around the ‘oasis of calm’, as McLaren describes it. This ‘oasis of calm’ is essentially an air bubble around the cockpit that remains mostly undisturbed.
The AAMS also includes a carbon-fiber deflector(a.k.a. Gurney flap) which raises up in front of the hood vents to prevent excess air from disrupting the system. The AAMS activates at speeds upwards of 28 mph and is limited to 124 mph. When the AAMS is inactive, the inlet shuts and the air instead goes to the twin radiators.
Though the system seems like a great alternative to a good old-fashioned glass windshield, it has its limitations. Since the AAMS requires lots of air to function, the system won’t work at low speeds. At high speeds, the inertia of the air overpowers the stream of air from the vents, and the bubble is compromised. McLaren has confirmed that the AAMS is less effective at speeds of over 70 mph, and recommends wearing a helmet.
At the speeds that the Track Mode reaches, the AAMS alone won’t be enough to keep the cockpit comfortable. For this reason, the AAMS and Track Mode cannot be turned on at the same time. McLaren has also included two helmets in the purchase of the Elva, as well as an option for a windshield. Engineers at McLaren look to further develop this technology so it can be used for a wider range of speeds.
The McLaren Elva is a worthy rival to the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 and paves the way for further development in aero technology. With nothing blocking the view ahead or behind, the engineers behind this masterpiece have certainly created a new type of driving experience. The McLaren Elva is only the most recent example of a new trend of windshield-less cars, but McLaren’s radical innovation may be the one to lead the way into a new generation of supercars.
