Thanks to WreckedExotics.com for giving us the heads up on this: a fire damaged McLaren F1. It’s certainly a painful image for us to look at, especially when you consider that there are only 64 F1s left on the road.
The owner had the car garaged for six months before this happened, so it is likely to be a result of that.
The fire destroyed the whole back end, and being the concerned sorts that we are at Top Gear, I called McLaren to find out what’s happening with it.
The Gordon Murray-designed F1 has been shipped from Santa Rosa, California – the picture, left, is of it before leaving the States – and is now back at Macca’s HQ in Woking for an assessment, because there’s a possibility that the car can be saved.
McLaren still has strong ties with BMW – who custom built the F1’s 6.1-litre, naturally aspirated, 627bhp V12 engines – so there’s a consultation process going on between the two companies to see if the F1 can be brought back from the burnt brink.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed on that, and will let you know what happens.
really, really unfortenate for the driver. i really hope they can fix it
so you know the i am the stig comment is me. it messed up
ouch!
Thats one big fire. I just hope the car can be saved.
The guy is from Montana and just took out a $3million insurance policy. He doesn’t want it fixed he just wants money.
Oh my God! That is almost unbearable to look at. I hope McLaren can get it restored back to its original state. I bet the owner was heartbroken I know I would of been! To Leron V: It’s not about the money it’s about the car. I would be devastated if I owned a McLaren F1 that decided to spontaneously combust on me like that.
The car is apparently already on the way back to the UK for repair. As blasphemous as it is, I think one F1 should be stored away similar to the Silver Ghost…
I’m curious about the autopsy report for the car. How can this happen? Was the car over-excited because it was driven for the first time in half a year? This must have been a freak accident (or sabotage? cf. comment 5). It’s hard to imagine a well-built car like that spontaneously catching fire.
i think personally if you leave a car like that in a garage for 6 months without using it, it should be taken off you cause you dont deserve it as its no better than being in a museum it should be used all the time
@Lunchi- you’d be surprised how many supercars spontaneously combust, Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches- non seem immune. I guess it’s to do with the huge amount of heat generated by these engines. I’ve often wondered though why they don’t seem to fit fire suppression systems in the engine bays? If you trawl through WreckedExotics.com you’ll see just how many otherwise undamaged supercars meet their end in a fiery sobfest.
Question: If carbon-fibre can withstand temps of over 1000 degrees Celcius…what the hell was hot enough to set the car alight?
I saw a Saab engine spontaneously catch fire once, so don’t think it is the reserve of the super car alone to catch fire. Their fragility and the extremes to which they operate must mean they are more susceptible to such occurrences. Agree that 6 months is too long to wait between drives of such a car.
The car was just embarased by current Mc’s track form and decided that it would rather burn than show it’s face arround.
Virtually nothing is beyond repair if the price is right. However, much like many of the Spitfires that are flying these days, the true cost of the repair is a loss of original material. Given time, money and the right people, they can no doubt recreate the parts that have been destroyed, but whether or not it’s still the same car is another question. Still, if the job’s done by McLaren, it’ll still be a McLaren. Fingers crossed.
MASTERPIECE!
I would think the car was upset at not being used, and wet itself with excitement!
Oh no, I can’t bear to look, I hate looking at a wasted Mercedes, sob, sob.
horrible,another f1 wrecked,stop torching them
Please fix it, we need all the supercars we can get to fight the greenies and their Prius’s (which arent as green as you’d think)
Oh my god! Who ever did this to this car will hunted down by Stigs Bounty unter Cousin. Some say, he only drinks petrol…
and some say, he won the championship league…JENGA
All we know is, he’s not The Stig.
Oh Dear
Maybe I’ll buy it.
…. — + ..” ^…~~ |||.
omario: Merc and Mclaren may be teamed up in F1, but this is a “Mclaren F1″ with a BMW engine in it. In no way is that affiliated with Benz. Sorry.
Sad for the car, saw it on Wrecked and almost wept. I actually had tingles up (down) my spine.
Oh god! My favorite car ever looking like that. :F Let’s hope they can save it.
It just cannot go up in flames..there must me a conspiracy behind it.
Anywho..hope it can be brought back!
Maybe during that 6 months in the garage a rodent/pest of some sort bit off a lining/hose in that Macca and suddenly gave way…
If it was rodents maybe they are the same ones who sabotaged Richard Hammonds Fezza 550 !
can someone explain how Mclaren still have strong links with BMW when their last supercar held a massive almost 22″ Merc badge at the front of it (the SLR) and they teamed up with Merc in F1? surely this can only mean that the relationship between BMW and Mclaren broke down..? i mean teaming up with bitter rivals never really goes down well with anyone dose it?
I died a little inside when the owner took the money and ran
Fingers crossed it is saved!!!
One of the all time greatest cars!
serves the guy right for keeping it locked up for that long…
Ar you suggesting that not starting a car for 6 months causes such fires. Surely a £1million car is not an everyay runabout so storage is important. Seems as if it may be a way of absolving responsability for an outfit that can only make a car that starts daily as oppossed to half yearly.
Very sad,I’m glad its not mine, good luck
It’s only a freaking car. Albeit an expensive one, but still a car.
anyone notice stig is gits backwards
Next week it will be on ebay, a month after that you will see an F1 with the back off a MK5 escort running around?
Must remove blanket from engine befor running.
I thought Jermy quit smoking
I thought Jeremy quit smoking
who killing the driver?
what an arse how did that happen
that is the motoring equivilant of smashing a ming vase! heartbreaking, irreplaceable and a serious insurance claim…
dddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaammm mmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnn. PISSED!! lol
Wow a pommie car that almost was still working after more than 2 years – amazing!!!!
Bummer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!
This car (Was) Probably worth more now than it was when it was
new. The driver must be very distressed at the fact that he has his
pride and Joy destroyed like that
just like an old kombi!!! there you go one hell of a carbon footprint!
car-bon- get it??? eh! nudge nudge wink wink! say noe more!
Wow, the fire was hot enough to actually melt the engine block.
I guess it will teach the guy to make sure there are no fuel leaks and that the radiator is full before setting off next time? :O
what an idiot!
who garages a mclaren f1 for SIX whole months?…..
That’s crazy.
http://messedupparentingt ips.wordpress.com/
wwwwwhhhhhhooooooo ooooo the car is on fire and yyyyoooooooouuuuuu the car is in fire
taken fron kings of leon
Its an ugly car to begin with…i know i’ll get alot of critism for this one…but its ugly…but still he’s an idiot
like said above, he had an insurance policy for 3 million dollars, so it might be sabotage, but the fact that a well build car cant self combust like that(as stated above somewhere) this does happen allot of times to lambo’s ferrari’s etc, and it didnt move in 6 months, so thats prob the biggest kink in the cable(i for one wouldnt sabotage my car and wait 6 months to destroy it just to make it look realistic, thats just messed up..)
oh,so pity of it!
maybe cos its part german… a lone spitefire tried to shot it down?????
what a shame. Hope mclaren can do it up or its the scrapyard for that.
I CRY INSIDE
that car is kinda lame… only 386 km/h! i reckon all mclaren f1’s should catch fire like that one
ha i would find this sad but the guy was an american so it goes to prove they can’t drive unless they are turning left!!!
Its just money gone down the drain………. just a lesson for the owner.