McLaren Elva ‘M1A Theme’ Honors Retro Grand Prix Winner

McLaren Special Operations decked out the windowless supercar with a classic racing livery.

McLaren’s limited-edition Elva was just made even more exclusive courtesy of McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the British automaker’s bespoke division. 

The ultra-light windowless roadster previously debuted alongside the P1, Senna and Speedtail in McLaren’s range-topping Ultimate Series of supercars. The name is derived from the 1960s-era, Bruce McLaren-designed Elva M1A race car, and MSO’s edition takes that historic inspiration even further with a retro black livery, silver accents, a thin red pinstripe and #4 racing designation.  

“Bruce McLaren’s superlight M1A was the fastest car on track at the Canadian Sports Car Grand Prix in 1964, repeatedly smashing the lap record at Mosport Park,” McLaren tweeted. “This is that car reimagined for 2020 – the Elva M1A Theme by MSO.”

Motor 1 reports that the original M1A tipped the scales at 1,215 pounds and was powered by an Oldsmobile 4.5-liter V8. While the weight of the modern Elva was never officially announced, the carbon-bodied supe is billed as McLaren’s “lightest road car ever.” A twin turbo-charged 4.0-liter V8 mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission blasts the 804-horsepower Elva to 62 mph in under three seconds and 124 mph in just 6.7 seconds. 

The M1A theme-edition also boasts the Elva’s first-of-its-kind Active Air Management System (AAMS), which channels air through the nose and out of the front clamshell at high velocity before being directed up over the cockpit, creating a “relative bubble of calm” around passengers.  

If the Elva M1A Theme isn’t just just a showcase for MSO’s design prowess, we assumed the package will definitely jack up the car’s eye-watering $1,690,000 base price. And that’s assuming you can still secure one of the just 399 examples that will be produced. Visit McLaren’s website for further details.