Hurricane Ian may have caused unprecedented devastation to Florida’s car scene. Famous shops, exotics, and rare classics have all been hit hard, among them this now famous yellow McLaren P1.
As we reported, one very unlucky McLaren P1 has been completely flooded by Hurricane Ian. Shocking footage showed both it and an expensive Rolls-Royce flooded to the point where they were floating in the water. The currents also dragged the supercar outside the sturdy garage where it had been parked.
Everybody who knows what this rare car is worth was shocked to see it at the mercy of mother nature, salt water most likely having done serious damage to its complex electronics and V8 engine. As the flood waters have subsided, we now have photos of the aftermath.
Owner Ernie (@lambo9286) released a few shots of the McLaren. One of them shows the car being held up by a toilet. We’re talking about a car worth more than $1.7 million resting on a porcelain throne, which would be meme-worthy were it not for the gravity of this incident.
Speaking of high-value cars being flooded by Hurricane Ian, a 1970 Plymouth Superbird and a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona have also been pulled out of garage storage. One of them ended up on its roof.
Even though the Internet is packed with P1 photos and videos, McLaren only ever built 375 units of this car (October 2013 – December 2015). It’s an icon of the modern hypercar segment, having introduced pioneering hybrid engine technology.
Can it even be fixed?
The carbon fiber monocoque chassis, which is made up of just 5 pieces, is probably in good condition. However, saltwater could be a death sentence for the delicate electronics of the P1, and the car being fully submerged in water guarantees the flooding of the engine. It’s at least going to need a full rebuild.
The owner has yet to announce what will happen with the P1, if he’s going to sell it or use the insurance money to have it repaired. Many famous YouTubers are probably eager to have this now famous hurricane victim in their driveway, especially guys like Tyler Hoover known for purchasing vehicles in bad condition.
This is a high-stakes game. Even with a flood title, the P1 is probably still worth about $700,000. Heck, people might buy it just to have it sitting in a garage looking pretty; it’s not like it will ever depreciate.
Many of the initial comments were highly critical of the car’s owner, suggesting he was committing insurance fraud. But just looking at the aftermath should tell you Naples, Florida got hit unexpectedly hard. There’s another car that’s been flipped completely over while Ernie’s new Rolls-Royce is stranded on some palm tree stumps next to a Honda Accord.
And now, updating the situation over a week after the storm (October 7,2022), here’s how the insurance company is dealing with the case of the flooded P1 and what a collector who people believe should buy and fix the McLaren has to say about it.
