McLaren Ultimate Series Roadster

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Yet another new McLaren has been announced. This time it is a 2-door roadster in the Ultimate Series (Senna and Speedtail). There is no official name yet, however, it'll be available in 2020 and only 399 will be made. It'll use McLaren’s 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine and produce a little less than the Senna's 789bhp. It'll be lighter than the 1198kg Senna, making it the lightest McLaren car ever.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/exclusive-mclaren-launch-extreme-open-cockpit-speedster

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/mclaren-confirms-new-ultimate-series-speedster

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Yet another new McLaren has been announced. This time it is a 2-door roadster in the Ultimate Series (Senna and Speedtail). There is no official name yet, however, it'll be available in 2020 and only 399 will be made. It'll use McLaren’s 4.0L V8 twin-turbo engine and produce a little less than the Senna's 789bhp. It'll be lighter than the 1198kg Senna, making it the lightest McLaren car ever.

I don't think the Senna is that light. Everything I can find claims 1375kg, making it more than 230kg/500lbs heavier than the Mclaren F1...which I believe still is the lightest Mclaren road car ever.
 
I don't think the Senna is that light. Everything I can find claims 1375kg, making it more than 230kg/500lbs heavier than the Mclaren F1...which I believe still is the lightest Mclaren road car ever.
I got that number from the Autocar article. I assumed they would know what they're talking about :lol:
 
It's something I still don't understand with motor vehicles. Of course the laws play into the type of vehicle, but the logic is what I'm on about.

This looks like a driver would need a helmet, to operate the car safely. Yet, a motorcyclist is fully exposed on top of the vehicle. Why wouldn't this car that encapsulates the driver, not conform legally, with no windscreen?
 
Looking very nice from those renders to be honest. I am surprised we didnt get 30 completely unintelligable teasers before this one though.
 
Matt Farah has driven it.



I'm not the biggest fan of Mclaren...and this one is even less appealing to me. The opening walkaround shot...it looks a bit like a kit car to me. There's not enough finesse to the design compared to what you'd get with Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini. I think part of the problem is the matte paint finish, to my eye it looks cheap, almost like primer, rather than "exotic". I just don't like it.

edit: $2.5m and they can't even give you a finish on the rear mesh that doesn't immediately burn off? (Check 3:15 in the video). Also 8 minutes of 6/10ths driving and it overheats.
 
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Matt Farah has driven it.



I'm not the biggest fan of Mclaren...and this one is even less appealing to me. The opening walkaround shot...it looks a bit like a kit car to me. There's not enough finesse to the design compared to what you'd get with Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini. I think part of the problem is the matte paint finish, to my eye it looks cheap, almost like primer, rather than "exotic". I just don't like it.

edit: $2.5m and they can't even give you a finish on the rear mesh that doesn't immediately burn off? (Check 3:15 in the video). Also 8 minutes of 6/10ths driving and it overheats.

I saw this last night and wasn't impressed either. Open cockpit designs are cool and have been done before but the execution of this one is not great at all. Ferrari's recent cars are gorgeous in comparison. I actually don't like that they pulled the painted surfaces directly into the cockpit, it almost feels like they just stopped designing it halfway through. My friend agreed. Plus the idea of the air wall thing while clever looks a bit dopey as it just deploys a 6-inch gurney flap that looks like a border wall.
 

https://cars.mclaren.com/en/ultimate-series/mclaren-elva

The 2021 McLaren Elva Gets a Windshield


The McLaren Elva track machine is the brand’s lightest supercar, but it’s missing something: a windshield. Designed for race days and track days only, the Elva is meant to be driven with a helmet and never on public roads or in the rain. That’s all changing with the addition of a 44-lb windshield for 2021. While no roof has been added, the windshield does make the Elva street legal. Power doesn’t change, but it doesn’t need to since the Elva doles out 804 horsepower from its twin-turbo V8 engine. The new paintjob is a unique Casa Blue and White colorway limited to the 144 cars being made. To the rest of us who won’t get our hands on one, it will just look like a blur.

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The 2021 McLaren Elva Gets a Windshield

The McLaren Elva track machine is the brand’s lightest supercar, but it’s missing something: a windshield. Designed for race days and track days only, the Elva is meant to be driven with a helmet and never on public roads or in the rain. That’s all changing with the addition of a 44-lb windshield for 2021. While no roof has been added, the windshield does make the Elva street legal. Power doesn’t change, but it doesn’t need to since the Elva doles out 804 horsepower from its twin-turbo V8 engine. The new paintjob is a unique Casa Blue and White colorway limited to the 144 cars being made. To the rest of us who won’t get our hands on one, it will just look like a blur.

The other sources I read (here, here) doesn't say about McLaren Elva not being road legal (apart from in several US states) or it being a track-only car. (I did a check and figured you posted it from here.)
 
They did offer a windshield from the start, but that's not going to help them. They've cut the production down severely, multiple times because there's just no demand for it. If you want one and can afford it, good bet your local dealer will place an order for you.
 
Oh man...it looks much, much worse with a windshield. The side profile looks like total amateur hour from a design perspective...those proportions are whack. Is Mclaren a publicly traded company? Their scattershot product line looks like something you would do if you were trying to appease share holders by demonstrating growth and diversification. The legacy of the F1 is getting more and more distant...
 
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I personally think this think looks goofy as hell. Mid-engined roadsters just have wonky proportions to begin with, plus this thing has a short stubby windshield sticking up like a boat or something. It looks like the entire cabin and windshield are stuffed way up front, with this long fat ass dragging along behind the car. It's pretty ugly in my opinion. I'm really not a fan of Mclaren's design direction in general lately. They're definitely unique but they're all pretty terrible. I think the P1 was the last one that still had elements of the gorgeous F1 with the roof scoop and side window profile. The Speedtail was pretty in its own right. But the rest are hideous, and this and the Elva especially ugly compared to what competitors are doing. Even Mazda has made better looking windowless roadsters.
 
I personally think this think looks goofy as hell. Mid-engined roadsters just have wonky proportions to begin with, plus this thing has a short stubby windshield sticking up like a boat or something. It looks like the entire cabin and windshield are stuffed way up front, with this long fat ass dragging along behind the car. It's pretty ugly in my opinion. I'm really not a fan of Mclaren's design direction in general lately. They're definitely unique but they're all pretty terrible. I think the P1 was the last one that still had elements of the gorgeous F1 with the roof scoop and side window profile. The Speedtail was pretty in its own right. But the rest are hideous, and this and the Elva especially ugly compared to what competitors are doing. Even Mazda has made better looking windowless roadsters.

Not even being hyperbolic, I think the Lego Speed Champions Elva is a better looking thing than the real car. :lol: I mean it kind of looks like an 80s Mosler, but that's an improvement.

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That ............ looks strange. :crazy:

Yesterday I thought it was a good looking cool car but I'm not so sure anymore. I blame it on the mid-engine for the wrong proportions. :D
There is a lot of the new mid-engine Corvette going on. The proportions of that car are also wrong.

Also, I'm not a fan of convertible/roadsters/Targas.
 
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