In an effort to create the purest form of driving experience, McLaren stripped off “absolutely everything” unnecessary on the Elva, which includes the windscreen.
If you’re a multi-millionaire looking to purchase the latest addition in McLaren’s Ultimate Series, you might wonder, “wait a minute, how do I make sure it won’t mess with my thousand-dollar hairdo?“
Worry not, because McLaren has specifically engineered what it calls the world’s first Active Air Management System to deal with this problem, essentially creating an air bubble around the passenger cell. Here’s a video from McLaren explaining how it works.
Utilising a giant hook-shaped duct, high-pressured air is ingested at the front of the car, turned 120 degrees, and channelled out of the top of the bonnet at a very high velocity.
The air coming out of the vent bends oncoming air around and above the cabin, essentially creating a virtual canopy above the driver.
McLaren Automotive’s Design Engineering Director, Dan Parry Williams who hosted the video, said that the effect is so prominent that raising your hand above a certain point will feel like putting your hand out of a window on a “regular” car.
At higher speeds, a gurney extends from the bottom of the vent to further channel the air to the right direction – out of your face. The system can also be shut off completely if you do actually want to feel the wind rushing through your hair.
