McLaren has created its fair share of supercars, and at a relatively short time at that, but the most unique could very well be the open-top Elva. It costs just shy of $1.7 million and only 249 units will be made, with the Woking company slashing the production number from the initial 399.

The British exotic is an absolute monster, even from the passenger seat, as Rory Reid found out after riding shotgun at the Goodwood Speed Week with a professional racing driver behind the wheel.

The ex-Top Gear co-presenter made a few surprising remarks, such as comparing the Elva to a superbike due to its very exposed nature. He also became quite religious during the fast lap, and concluded his experience, which also included hunting for a Ford GT that simply couldn’t get away from the McLaren, with one word: breathtaking.

Watch Also: F1 Driver Lando Norris Samples McLaren Elva At Silverstone

Another interesting thing is that the Active Air Management System (AAMS), which basically creates a virtual windscreen by directing the air over the cockpit with the deployable carbon fiber deflector on the bonnet, works quite well.

The Elva is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that puts out 804 HP (815 PS / 599 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque that’s channeled to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

As for its performance, the Elva is actually faster than the Senna, with McLaren claiming that it needs under 3 seconds to get from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) and just 6.7 seconds to reach 124 mph (200 km/h).