As we reported a few months ago, YouTuber Tavarish is the one who bought the famous flooded McLaren P1. Today, we know a lot more about the damage done to this exotic machine, which has gone from being worth over $2,000,000 to… worthless? Hopefully not. However, it’s going to take a lot of work and money to bring it back to former glory.
In late September 2022, shocking footage emerged from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. Flood waters had caused record property damage in Florida, and the biggest story of them all was this yellow McLaren P1. It’s a rare British performance machine with a stunning design and jaw-dropping performance that most people can’t even comprehend and experience.
First, security camera footage emerged, showing the yellow McLaren floating inside a flooded garage. After that, the car was shown floating outside, where it had been dragged by the water tides (through the garage door). After the flooding subsided, the P1 was seen resting on top of a porcelain toilet, looking sorry for itself. At the time, we speculated that a YouTuber might jump at the opportunity this car, despite the potential financial risks.
McLaren P1: value lost
Let’s do some simple math to see how much value the McLaren supercar has lost. Only 375 of these have ever been made, and so far in 2023, just two have been sold, one for around $1.2 million and the other for $2.4 million. The average market value is around $1.8 to $2 million. However, this particular example had been bought 10 days before the flooding and had ridiculously low mileage, so it would have been at the high end of the market.
Tavarish shows himself clicking the “Buy It Now” button to get the car at $575,000. So theoretically, he could spend twice that much on repairs and still be in good financial condition. It sounds good, but seeing the damage now, he’s probably going to need sponsors and a small miracle to pull this off.
To be noted, according to our info, the winning bid of the auction for the flooded P1 (VIN SBM12ABA6FW000348) was $400,000. Tavarish has talked about this in a recent interview with Shmee150. He said the P1 sold twice at that price but basically didn’t because it didn’t meet reserve. So he may indeed have paid the full $575k, which is basically Aventador SVJ money.
Body damage is extensive
All the photos of the P1 show thus far indicated that the body was mostly intact. However, when Tavarish filmed the car up close, we saw that this wasn’t the case. Virtually every part of the car has been extensively damaged.
For example, most of the transparent or glass elements will have to be replaced. The engine cover is blown to smithereens, the windshield has holes in it, and half of the glass roof is shattered. These parts are hard to find, not to mention expensive. Triple F was quoted at $22,000 for a windshield, for example.
In the video, we can also see a damaged engine deck, large scratches on all the fenders, missing taillights, flooded headlights, scratches under the door sills, and more. One rear tire has a big puncture and on the other side, the wheel has a hole, presumably from the towing chain. So not all the damage comes from Hurricane Ian.
Just based on the bodywork, this will be the most extremely famous car rebuild we’ve seen since the Gas Monkey Ferrari F40. Remember, every part of the body is made from carbon fiber, and it’s not like McLaren has a bunch of spares around. In fact, we wonder if the British automaker will be supportive of the build or not.
Electricals look bad, the engine is an unknown
The one major “fix” we see being carried out has to do with the rear brakes. The e-brake is locked up since the pads rusted onto the disk. Fortunately, the motors that operate this system are still working, so Tavarish is able to get the rear wheels moving again. However, you can tell the hubs and bearings have been affected by the salty water.
On the inside of the McLaren, nothing works, which might end up being the biggest cost of all. A new wiring loom for such a complicated car is bound to be built-to-order, and we estimate its cost at about $50,000. In addition, the infotainment, dash, air conditioning, and all the other buttons are damaged.
The people selling the car did clean it up a bit before putting it up for sale, but they didn’t unlock the front trunk. And there, Tavarish finds a lot of nasty, smelly flood water. However, the powertrain remains the biggest unknown. When it was launched, the McLaren P1 was potentially one of the most advanced hybrid supercars in the world, competing with the LaFerrari. Its powertrain consists of not only a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, but also an electric motor that’s developed in-house and a battery you can charge.
Electricity and salty flood water don’t mix. In addition, Tavarish wouldn’t even dare to start the motor without at least doing a full inspection. This rebuild is bound to be expensive. We know that McLaren now sells a “Gen 2” battery upgrade for the P1, and that costs $156,700.
What Tavarish told Shmee150
Just a couple of days after the build was revealed, Shmee150 also released a video where he interviews Tavarish and updates us on the state of the P1. The carbon rear has come off and it’s looking really bad. The battery is potentially as bad as we think, and without it, the engine cannot be started. Apparently, the V8 is… fine. Some water did get inside, but it cleared up. However, the turbos are probably going to need rebuilding.