16 Oct 2020
- McLaren Elva in famous Gulf colours unveiled at Goodwood Motor Circuit, UK
- Celebrates new partnership between McLaren and the iconic Gulf Oil brand
- Ultra-exclusive Ultimate Series Elva roadster evokes the true spirit of driving enjoyment
- Gulf-liveried supercars available by commission from McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the in-house bespoke division of McLaren Automotive
Luxury supercar maker McLaren Automotive today premieres the McLaren Elva Gulf Theme by MSO, a celebration of the renewed relationship between McLaren and the Gulf Oil brand and another example of how designs from McLaren’s racing history are inspiring the brand’s modern-day customers.
The unique McLaren roadster in blue and orange Gulf colours makes its world debut at Goodwood SpeedWeek, a ‘closed-doors’ live broadcast event bringing together the past, present and future of motoring and motorsport at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in the UK.
McLaren and Gulf recently confirmed a new partnership that renews a historic union between the two brands that originated in the 1960s, a decade when both companies made their first forays into motorsport. Gulf branding appeared on McLaren’s Can-Am, Formula 1 and Indy cars from 1968 to 1973. Two decades later McLaren F1 GTRs run by customer team GTC carried the famous Gulf livery in global GT racing, including at Le Mans.
Under the new partnership, McLaren Automotive customers will have the opportunity to commission Gulf-liveried cars directly from MSO. These follow cars inspired by the famous facing livery designed and produced by MSO prior to the renewed relationship being agreed. Most recently, a McLaren Senna GTR LM paying homage to the #24 McLaren F1 GTR that finished fourth in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans race was completed as one of five MSO-designed customer cars celebrating the McLaren F1’s domination of that race.
“The McLaren Elva Gulf Theme by MSO is a striking celebration of both McLaren’s history in sports car racing and our new partnership with Gulf Oil. McLaren Special Operations is committed to pushing the boundaries of the ‘art of the possible’ and projects like this showcase the increasingly extensive range of personalisation options we can offer customers – in this case, enhancing the authenticity of the livery by incorporating Gulf brand logos into the design.”
Ansar Ali, Managing Director, McLaren Special Operations
The Elva, which follows the McLaren P1TM, McLaren Senna and Speedtail in McLaren’s Ultimate Series, links McLaren’s heritage to its present and future with a name and style that recalls the McLaren-Elva sports racers of the 1960s. These were among the first sportscars designed and raced by Bruce McLaren and the company he founded, and the new Elva evokes the true spirit of driving enjoyment symbolised by this era.
In line with McLaren’s on-going commitment to super-lightweight engineering, the new Ultimate Series roadster retains the lightweight construction philosophy of its forebear and is at the cutting-edge of automotive technology. The body design of the screenless, roofless Elva, for example, incorporates an innovative Active Air Management System (AAMS) that creates a virtual canopy over the seamlessly-integrated cockpit. The 815PS and 800Nm developed by the 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine ensure that the Elva delivers astonishing performance and incredible levels of driving enjoyment.
With deliveries of the Elva commencing this year, MSO has already completed the specification of the first cars and is well-advanced in discussions with customers to create further dramatic paintwork and liveries. Just 149 examples of the Ultimate Series roadster will be available to customer order, making it one of the rarest McLarens ever produced and, with an almost-limitless degree of personalisation available from MSO, each car will have its own unique identity.
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Notes to editors:
A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press
About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.
Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.
Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.
The company’s product portfolio of GT, Supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in 40 markets around the world.
McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.
Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™.
2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider as well as the new GT, the track-only Senna GTR and unveiled the 620R and the McLaren Elva.
In 2020, McLaren launched the 765LT. In addition, it unveiled the all-new lightweight architecture innovated and manufactured at the £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre opened in the Sheffield region in the North of England that will underpin the next decade of McLaren’s electrified future.
To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative sportscars and supercars, McLaren Automotive partners with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise, technology and solutions. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, Pirelli, Richard Mille and Tumi.
McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied.
Further information:
Piers Scott
Global Director of PR & Marketing | McLaren Automotive Limited
Phone:+44 (0) 1483 241380
Mobile: +44 (0) 7387548837
Email: piers.scott@mclaren.com
Daniel Golding
Global Head of Corporate Communications | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Email: daniel.golding@mclaren.com
Paul Chadderton
Global Head of PR | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Email: paul.chadderton@mclaren.com
Hunter Skipworth
Global Digital PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Charlotte Jatana
Social Media Executive | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Kevin Ritson
Press Officer | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Chloe-Elise Bradford
PR Executive | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Roger Ormisher
Vice President, Communications & PR | McLaren North America
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Lauren Dowdy
Press Officer– North America | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Amel Boubaaya
Head of PR – Europe, Middle East and Africa | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 531357
E-mail: amel.boubaaya@mclaren.com
Valentina Pichler
European Press Officer | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Adam Gron
Regional PR & Marketing Manager – Middle East and Africa | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Email: adam.gron@mclaren.com
Sunny Zhang
PR Communications Director – China | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Email: sunny.zhang@mclaren.com
Gracia Yap
PR Manager – Asia Pacific | McLaren Automotive Limited
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Email: gracia.yap@mclaren.com
Mihoko Negishi
PR Manager – Japan | McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd
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Email: mihoko.negishi@mclaren.com
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