In celebration of the renewed relationship between McLaren and Gulf Oil brand, the luxury supercar maker premiered the McLaren Elva Gulf Theme by MSO at the Goodwood Speedweek.
Sporting the blue and orange Gulf colors, the McLaren Elva Gulf Theme made its debut in a ‘closed-doors’ live broadcast event at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in the UK.
The renewed partnership between McLaren and Gulf was confirmed recently, bringing back the historic union that started back in the 1960s when the two companies were both new in the world of motorsport. From 1968 to 1973, the Gulf logo and branding was on McLaren’s Can-Am, Indy cars, and Formula 1. After two decades the Gulf livery was again in prominent display on the McLaren F1 GTRs under customer team GTC when they joined the global GT racing, including at Le Mans.
The new partnership will give McLaren Automotive customers the chance to commission Gulf-liveried cars from MSO directly. These follow cars inspired by the legendary racing livery created and produced by MSO preceding the refreshed relationship being agreed. Most recently, a McLaren Senna GTR LM paying homage to the #24 McLaren F1 GTR that achieved fourth in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans race was created as one of five MSO-designed customer cars glorifying 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 personalization options we can offer customers – in this case, enhancing the authenticity of the livery by incorporating Gulf brand logos into the design.”
McLaren Special Operations Managing Director, Ansar Ali.
Following the McLaren P1TM, McLaren Senna, and Speedtail in McLaren’s Ultimate Series, the Elva links McLaren’s legacy to its present and future with a style and name that remembers the McLaren-Elva sports racers back in the 1960s. These cars were among the earliest sportscars that were created and raced by Bruce McLaren and his company. The new Elva evokes the feeling of driving enjoyment signified by the era.
The new Ultimate Series roadster will use the lightweight construction philosophy of its predecessor and will be at the cutting-edge of automotive technology, keeping with McLaren’s on-going commitment to super-lightweight engineering.
The screenless and roofless Elva will have a body design that incorporates the innovative Active Air Management System (AAMS) wherein a virtual canopy is created over the seamlessly integrated cockpit. The 4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine produces 804bhp and 590ft-lb, enabling the Elva to deliver an amazing performance coupled with astonishing levels of driving enjoyment.
The deliveries of the Elva will start this year, and specifications for the first cars are already completed by MSO and they are in advanced discussions with customers to provide more dramatic paintwork and liveries. The Ultimate Series roadster will only have 149 examples produced and available to customer order, making it the rarest McLarens ever produced. With MSO’s capability to provide a practically unlimited degree of personalization, each car will definitely have its own unique identity.
[Source: McLaren]
