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Top Gear magazine climbs all over the McLaren Elva

Top Gear deputy editor Jack Rix took a camera crew to McLaren's Technology Center for a closer look at the Elva roadster. Not only did Rix provide his usual, thorough once-over and explanation of design features, but thanks to the magic of moving pictures, we get graphic demonstrations of how the Elva's most interesting feature works. McLaren engineers needed to figure out a way to protect helmetless occupants from getting their faces painted with bugs and detritus at speed. Their solution is the Active Air Management System (AAMS), composed of a deflector and a network of vents that create a "bubble of calm" around the passenger cell. Unlike the rest of the Elva, the AAMS ain't pretty, but beauty always loses tie-breakers to effectiveness in Woking.  For a vehicle with so little to it, including the number of body panels, there's a ton going on all around the open-top. The rear mesh is 3D-printed titanium. Short seat squabs combined with a moving steering wheel and gauge cluster improve ingress and egress. Four high-flow exhaust pipes are placed in two locations and pointed two directions in order to separate tones as if the exhaust were an audio system – because, in truth, it is. And there's more, but we'll let Rix explain.  As an aside, for all the Elva does have, we think it's a shame the roadster doesn't have a roofed version. Digital artist Nikita Aksyonov drew up an Elva Coupe, and we're fans. Better looks than the McLaren GT, in a package that appears more compact than the 720S, with a more powerful engine than the Senna? Yes. All day yes. But we digress, so check out Rix's take in the video.

McLaren will race the new 720S GT3 in Abu Dhabi

Mark your calendars, endurance racing fans: McLaren says the new 720S GT3 will finally be shown at the Bahrain GP Festival. The Gulf 12 Hours endurance race, held two weeks later, will then be the GT3's maiden competitive event. McLaren also released some new photo material of the new, track-focused 720S GT3 version. One 720S GT3 will be entered in the Gulf 12 Hours race by the works team; McLaren will mainly use the acquired data to prepare for the 2019 season. The car has already been tested for thousands of miles around European circuits, the manufacturer says. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. McLaren Automotive states the 720S GT3 is the first car its in-house motorsport department has developed, designed and built. Earlier, it was said that the race car shares less than 10 percent of its parts with the road-going 720S: the body is extensively reworked for racing duty, and while the engine is based on the standard car's four-liter, twin turbo V8 unit, it has been extensively rebuilt, and it's now coupled to a six-speed sequential transmission instead of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission offered to regular customers. The GT3 will also be sold to privateer teams, and McLaren disclosed the price in August as $564,000 – handily double the price of a $280,000 regular-issue 720S. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

A lighter, faster long-tail version of the McLaren 720S is on the way

The latest and greatest from Woking has barely broken cover, but McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt has confirmed to Car and Driver that there will be an even faster LT version sometime in the future. Flewitt said that the 675LT, a variant of the 650S, was so successful that it makes perfect sense to create a follow up. This will be great news for those McLaren enthusiasts that may be tempted to jump ship for the obscenely fast Lamborghini Huracan Performante that debuted in Geneva alongside the 720S. Flewitt said there was a great deal of both internal and external enthusiasm surrounding the 675LT. Expect the new version to be a lot like the 675LT: lighter, sharper, and more powerful, with some mild styling changes but not a completely overhauled design. The twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter in the McLaren already makes 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. Remember, that's just the baseline. A mild bump in output is assured. No word on when the car may debut, but don't look for it anytime soon. McLaren most likely wants to give the 720S a bit of breathing room before it introduces a new model. Flewitt also suggested that an LT version of the 570S isn't off the table. As long as it's lighter, faster, and more powerful, we won't complain. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Car and Driver McLaren Lightweight Vehicles Performance Supercars mclaren 720s mclaren 675lt