![]() With a price tag of $4 million, this limited-edition hypercar is a true masterpiece of engineering and design. The 2017 McLaren P1 LM is one of the most exclusive and expensive vehicles ever produced by the British automaker. The Active Air Management System (AAMS) uses a movable carbon deflector to direct air from the Elva’s nose and up through the front clam ahead of the occupants, projecting it over them creating something less prosaically named “a relative bubble of calm” beneath.Engine: 3.8 L twin-turbocharged M838TQ V8ĭesigner(s): Frank Stephenson, Paul Howse, Robert Melville "You can wear a helmet, or you can specify a windscreen, but McLaren suggests you’ll need neither. The tub is naturally carbon, but so’s every panel too. After all, there’s no roof, windows or windscreen here while the doors are McLaren’s smallest ever and are single-hinged just for shaving even more grammes. "While no actual kerb weight has been announced, you can bet on something comfortably below the 1,198kg claimed by the Senna. The McLaren Elva is described as ‘a ferociously fast open-cockpit car’ and fits into the company’s top-line Ultimate Series, following in the footsteps of the P1 and Senna and sitting alongside the new Speedtail. What we say: “Meet the lightest McLaren road car ever, and seemingly Woking’s tribute to the wealth of heroically stripped-out track specials Great Britain has a fine tradition of producing. Read Chris Harris's review of the McLaren Speedtail here This is the future we read about in Eighties car magazines, before congestion and crumbling road networks, before our species contracted its current, loathsome aversion for speed." There will be no talk of lap times and all that balls – this is a road car, a grand touring super-machine in the mould of a Miura or a Daytona but extrapolated to a point where, if it were possible, it could travel as fast as a light aircraft. Having driven a Chiron and felt the way the McLaren pulls north of two hundred, I can only say that claim seems very conservative. "The Speedtail has a claimed top speed of 250mph. Instantly, you are any of the things your inner car-child could possibly dream – a fighter pilot, a racing driver, a McLaren F1 wannabe. What we say: “The moment you pop the McLaren Speedtail’s dihedral door and shuffle over a passenger seat squab and then settle into the slender, solo bucket seat, the £1.75m price becomes irrelevant. Read Top Gear’s review of the McLaren Senna GTR here The Senna GTR is, as McLaren promised, much more accessible, more trustworthy, stable and precise.” Rougher around the edges, a bit sketchier, but bloody memorable. The problem is that, although this sounds bonkers, 825bhp just isn’t enough. "The Senna GTR likes to be driven like a racing car, and demands a certain technique – especially in the slow corners – to get the best from it. But somewhere a little over halfway around lap one, you’ve already sussed it. ![]() Terrifying to look at, deeply intimidating as you head out of the pits, wrenched tight into carbon buckets and gripping the little rubberised wheel. Because the downforce glues it harder to the track the faster you go, so it feels ultra-secure in a straight line. Because it responds exactly as you want, at the moment you demand it. What we say: “The Senna GTR gives you so much confidence. But for people who love driving, this McLaren will do the GT job like nothing else." Small wonder the cars most rich people really use for long trips are SUVs. But the thing is, so are all the rivals, albeit for different reasons. In the end then this is a compromised GT. And the load space, although big, demands you pack it thoughtfully. The cabin is too cramped, not so much for the people but for objects. "But the mid-engined layout does impose its own compromises. Actually, better than the GT's front-engined rivals, which try to compensate for their weight by running stiff springs and sharp damping and very noisy tyres. Yet the refinement and ride comfort are a big step ahead. "Remarkably, the driving experience comes close to a 570S. The harder question is whether it’s the answer to the 'grand touring' question. The more you drive it the easier that verdict becomes.
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