McLaren's new S$5.5m car has no roof or windscreen

Singapore

MCLAREN Automotive held an event at the Esplanade yesterday to showcase its Elva roadster to local customers and media. The limited edition supercar is the latest model in the brand's top-end Ultimate Series range, joining the ultra-exclusive McLaren Senna and Speedtail.

Just 149 units of the Elva will be produced, and McLaren says that they will be made available to customers on a first-come-first-served basis.

As each unit will be built to each customer's bespoke specifications through the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) programme, there's no official list price for the Elva, although a McLaren representative says the car would likely cost around S$5.5 million or so here without a Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

Even though the car has no roof and windscreen, the Elva is completely road legal - although if a Singaporean customer wants to drive it to the shops, he would have to get McLaren to fit a windscreen to make it compliant with local regulations.

The car is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that produces a whopping 815 horsepower and 800 Newton-metres of torque. Despite the limitations, McLaren is confident that the Elva's exclusivity will help it find a ready market here.

"Singapore is home to some of the world's most discerning owners of luxury automobiles," says Chong Kah Wei, general manager of McLaren Singapore.

"We are confident that such individuals will truly appreciate the infinite bespoke opportunities provided by MSO for the Elva."