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McLaren Elva production cut from 399 units to 249

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt revealed the production quota for the new Elva speedster will drop from 399 units to 249. The boss explained lopping volume by 38% with, "the feedback from our customers is that they think the car should be more exclusive than that, so we’ve capped it at 249.” While it's to be expected that owners investing $1.7 million in a specialized road car would promote exclusivity — and thereby residual values — it seems dubious that McLaren would return 150 down payments if the automaker had 399 orders. More likely, the global market for windscreen-less roadsters, no matter how technologically advanced, couldn't absorb all 399 Elvas on top of 500 total Ferrari SP1 and SP2 Monzas, 88 Aston Martin V12 Speedsters, 40 Pagani Huayra BC Roadsters, and 12 Bentley Bacalars.    The production revision puts the Elva in company with the McLaren F1. Ron Dennis would have built more F1 road cars, but the market (just 20 years ago!) wasn't ready for a supercar that cost $810,000 before special requests, so production ended after 106 road and racing chassis' and a complete set of parts for another. The Elva represents technical high points for McLaren, too, being the company's lightest-ever car outside the F1, able to hit 62 miles per hour in under three seconds, and announcing its presence with the dual-exit "Nirvana" titanium exhaust. The handling, designed to be less intense than that of the Senna but more supple than that of the Speedtail, kept engineers up late due to the Elva being lighter than the Senna yet more powerful. Nevertheless, even without sharing its rear lights with an Italian bus, as the F1 did, the Elva may have had a hard time convincing shoppers it deserved to be the second-most-expensive model in the carmaker's Ultimate Series range, at the same time as being the least practical. The Elva runs about $700,000 more than the Senna and $500,000 less than the Speedtail. A lightly used P1 can be had for as low as $1.2 million. Autocar writes that build slots are still open for the model Flewitt called "a uniquely modern car that delivers the ultimate connection between driver, car and the elements," and if you're in the market, their values just went up. McLaren will begin building Elvas when Speedtail production ends later this year or early next. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

F1 champ Fernando Alonso geared up for rookie run at Indy

NEW YORK - Twice Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso surprised himself with his qualifying success for Sunday's Indianapolis 500, but the Spaniard knows his biggest challenge will come on race day. Alonso, racing on an oval for the first time, averaged more than 230 miles per hour (370 kph) to qualify fifth fastest for a place in the second row in the 33-car field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "I was a bit surprised," Alonso, 35, told Reuters on Tuesday. "When we announced to come here one month ago, we did it without knowing how competitive we could be, if I was able to adapt to oval racing, to these cars." "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." A lack of experience may cost him on the biggest day of US racing when a champion will be crowned after 200 laps of the massive 2.5-mile oval, but Alonso is geared up for the chance. "You respect the place, respect the speed. You respect your colleagues out there, but at the end of the day, when you are in your car and close the visor, you would like to have one mile per hour more. It's never enough," he said. While Alonso passed the entrance exam with flying colors in qualifying, he knows the hardest test is to come. "The biggest challenge I will face is in the race when you are running in traffic, those groups of cars that form in the race. It changes completely the behavior of the car. "You feel the car very loose... we've been practicing that with the team, trying to create our own groups because we are six cars," Alonso said. "I still lack experience in important moments of the race. I will try to compensate with the speed, with motivation and we will see what happens." GUESSING GAMES Alonso said timing his moves may be a guessing game. "Taking the opportunity to overtake and to pass will be a difficult decision to make," he said. "There are many factors you need to address while you are driving 230 miles per hour. "You have to stay calm, be ready for the last one-third of the race. That is where it comes." Alonso said the race demands a balance between pushing the limit and not crossing the line into recklessness. "With no experience, for me you're not sure sometimes where you are with that line - if you are over the limits of the car, or over the limits of running with the traffic.

McLaren matches Ferrari with an extended warranty of up to 12 years

If you're an owner of a McLaren and want some assurance that if something goes wrong with your pricey sports car it'll be covered, McLaren has some good news for you. The company announced that it will now offer an extended warranty that will protect your McLaren for up to 12 years from the date of manufacture. Previously, McLaren owners were only given the option to extend the factory three-year and unlimited mileage warranty to seven years. Extending the warranty does cost extra (though McLaren didn't announce how much), and can be purchased in increments of 12 to 24 months. If you happen to have a McLaren P1, we're afraid this warranty isn't available to you. It only covers Sports Series and Super Series cars, which includes vehicles such as the 570S, MP4-12C, 650S, and variations on those models. For people looking to purchase a McLaren with this warranty, it is only available for new, and certified pre-owned McLarens that are under 10 years old and have driven fewer than 100,000 miles. The warranty also only covers problems that are not considered general wear and tear, misuse, or abuse. Aftermarket parts and upgrades also aren't covered. McLaren isn't the only supercar company to offer lengthy warranty coverage. According to Business Insider, Ferrari announced two years ago that it would offer extra-charge extensions to the standard three-year warranty for up to 12 years as well. Ferrari also sweetens the deal on new models with a seven-year service program. Related Video: