Doug DeMuro Digs the McLaren Elva but Would Much Rather Have a Certain Ferrari Instead

Yet here we are, thanks to the good people of Woking, Surrey, where McLaren Automotive assembles the Elva, a mid-engine “Ultimate Series” supercar with a completely open-top design that was originally supposed to not include a windshield. However, one was eventually made available as an optional extra, plus to meet legal requirements in certain U.S. states.

The Elva is McLaren’s first-ever open-top road-legal supercar, and it recently ended up in the hands of popular car reviewer Doug DeMuro, who also tested the Ferrari Monza SP1 a little over a month ago – the two cars are quite similar and therefore, direct rivals.

As you can imagine, there are plenty of quirks to a vehicle such as the McLaren Elva, like how both the driver and passenger get their own special storage space for their eyewear. Come to think of it, that’s actually a neat touch, especially since you need to protect your eyes when there’s no windshield available to you.

Of course, this car is all about performance, which is why you’ll probably want to focus your attention on its 4.0-liter twin turbocharged V8 engine, rated at 804 hp (815 ps) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. It’s the same engine used in the Senna and Speedtail, and it allows the Elva to accelerate from zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in under three seconds. Meanwhile, 124 mph (200 kph) happens in just 6.7 seconds.

In the end, while DeMuro was thoroughly impressed with the Elva, he didn’t value it quite as much as the Ferrari Monza SP1, which according to him features a higher quality interior and offers better value overall.