A guidewire and a method for its manufacture, wherein at least the distal portion of the guidewire comprises an element made of a precursor of a superelastic alloy such as a Ni--Ti linear elastic alloy. The element exhibits a stress strain curve with a linear stress-strain relationship and a yield point. At room temperature to body temperature the precursor is in the martensitic phase. The distal portion of the guidewire is deformable beyond the yield point by the physician in the field to a desired set shape and exhibits resistance to kinking during insertion into the body as a result of its elasticity.