When Hurricane Ian reached Florida in September 2022 2, one of its stranger casualties was a yellow McLaren P1. Photos and video posted by its owner showed the hybrid hypercar forced out of a garage and carried along a flooded street, about a week after it had been bought 1. The wreck was later offered as salvage and ended up with a YouTube channel that restores damaged supercars 4. This refreshed story about the flood damaged McLaren P1 sets out what happened to the car, what is known about its rebuild, and what a flood car means for buyers in Australia, where a storm can put thousands of damaged vehicles back on the market.
How Hurricane Ian reached the garage
Hurricane Ian was a very large storm. The official report on it by forecasters at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says Ian made landfall on the barrier island of Cayo Costa, Florida, on 28 September 2022 at category 4 intensity, then came ashore again near Punta Gorda about an hour and a half later 2. NOAA's tropical cyclone report on Ian records catastrophic storm surge, damaging winds and historic freshwater flooding across much of central and northern Florida 2.
The numbers in that report are stark. Ian was responsible for over 150 direct and indirect deaths and over US$112 billion in damage, which makes it the costliest hurricane in Florida's history and the third costliest in United States history 2. Peak storm surge of 10 to 15 feet above ground level was recorded at Fort Myers Beach, and inundation of 8 to 12 feet reached communities as far south as North Naples 2.
Against that backdrop, the P1 was a small story, but a very visible one. Motor1 reported that the car had about 300 miles on its odometer and that floodwater pushed it out of its garage and onto the street, where a later post showed it sitting above a toilet 1. The owner's new Rolls-Royce Phantom was flooded too and also ended up in the street 1.
Why a flood damaged McLaren P1 drew attention
The P1 is one of the rarest modern McLarens. GoAuto reported in December 2015 that the 375th and final P1 had rolled off the production line in Woking, England, after nearly three years and 300,000 build hours 5. The car pairs a 3.8 litre turbocharged V8 with an electric powertrain, for a combined 673 kW and 900 Nm 5.
A car that never came to Australia new
Australian enthusiasts had little chance to see one in a local showroom. GoAuto reported that the P1 was not made available for Australian customers 5. That rarity is a large part of why a single drowned example made news around the world, Australian outlets included 4.
New, the P1 cost around US$1,300,000, and resellers have claimed that used examples could sell for more than US$2,000,000 4. That gap between what the car was worth before the storm and what a flooded one might fetch is the whole reason the wreck became a project rather than scrap.
From floodwater to a salvage auction
After the storm, the car went where many insured flood cars go: a salvage auction. Road & Track reported in November 2022 that the P1 had been listed with an online salvage auction house, and that the same car had been bid to US$1,500,000 on an enthusiast auction site in August 2022, weeks before Ian arrived 3.
The listing photos showed a car in better shape than many expected, cleaned up after the flood. Even so, Road & Track noted a shattered windscreen, a passenger mirror ripped off and quite a bit of damage to the paint 3. The bigger worry was hidden: the writer presumed the powertrain and electronics had been damaged too, and pointed out that the P1's hybrid system makes a restoration far more complex 3.
By January 2023 the car was listed with a buy-now price of US$575,000, and the listing described "water/flood" and "mechanical" damage 4.
A YouTube restoration
The buyer was Tavarish, a YouTube channel best known for flipping supercars 4. Australian Community Media's report on the purchase noted that it was unclear how much the channel had spent on the car 4. The first episode of the restoration series showed the car being collected from a warehouse and taken to the channel's workshop, and it drew more than two million views in four days 4.
What the crew found matched the warnings. The report lists water and glass in the engine bay, mould inside the car and damage to almost all of the glass 4. At the rear there was considerable paint damage and missing tail lights, the tyres were flat and the wheels and brakes were damaged 4. The car also appeared stuck in a lowered suspension mode, so the team used a jack and small trolleys to get it onto a trailer 4.
A new body for an old wreck
The project has since grown well beyond a repair. In June 2025, Carscoops reported that Frank Stephenson, McLaren's former design chief, was working with the channel on a redesigned car called the P1 EVO 6. The renders show a large dorsal fin like those on Le Mans prototypes, a roof snorkel and changes to almost every surface 6. Stephenson's studio described the project as only at its early stages, with road testing planned for 2026 6. Carscoops also noted that the build had already run for more than two years 6.
Our team has not found a source that confirms the finished car has been driven, so this story stops where the published record does.
What happens to flood cars in Australia
Floods in Australia raise the same question for ordinary cars that Ian raised for the P1: where do the damaged vehicles go? After the Queensland and northern New South Wales floods of 2022, Western Australia's Consumer Protection warned that as many as 20,000 vehicles had been damaged and that some might be offered for sale in the west 8.
In New South Wales, a vehicle assessed as a total loss may be placed on the written-off vehicles register and cannot be re-registered for use on NSW roads 7. A vehicle that is not a total loss is not entered on the register, and it can be sold at auction or privately 7. Transport for NSW says you can only get approval to repair and re-register a written-off light vehicle in very limited circumstances 7. So a car can carry flood damage without any write-off record, which is why the checks below matter. The same page notes that flooding has damaged caravans and camper trailers as well as cars, and it recommends inspecting any vehicle thoroughly and seeking advice before you buy 7.
Water damage is not only cosmetic. Western Australia's Consumer Protection says water can damage a car's electrical systems and cause corrosion later, and that a flood-damaged car may be hard to register or insure 8.
Checks before you buy a used car
Western Australia's advice on flood cars gives buyers a practical list 8:
- ask the seller whether the car has been damaged by floodwater or is a write-off
- look in the glovebox for a tide mark
- look under the seat mountings and in the fuse box for debris
- lift the seat covers and inspect the original fabric
- read the log book, and have an independent qualified mechanic check the car
It also recommends searching the written-off vehicle records through the national Personal Property Securities Register before you buy 8. Dealers and auctioneers in Western Australia do not have to volunteer flood damage, but under the Australian Consumer Law they must tell the truth if you ask them directly 8. Buying from a licensed dealer may also give you some warranty protection, depending on the car's age and kilometres 8. Private sales carry more risk: the same advice says there are no legal protections for consumers in a private sale 8.
Our car buying safety guide covers the wider checks for a private sale, and the answers on our frequently asked questions page explain how Car Domain works for buyers and sellers.
Never test your own car against floodwater
The P1 shows how easily water moves a car. Victoria's State Emergency Service warns that it can take as little as 15 cm of water for a car to float, based on research from UNSW, and that water at that depth reduces the driver's control and puts the people inside at risk 9. Its advice is simple: "Never drive on a flooded road" 9.
Insurance and a salvage sale may give a hypercar a second life. An everyday car caught in floodwater is far more likely to be written off, and the people in it face real danger. If a road is flooded, turn around and find another way.
Other stories about rare McLarens
The flooded P1 is one of several McLaren stories on our blog. Read about Australia's only McLaren F1, the hypercar that set the template for the P1, or browse our list of the most expensive cars ever sold. When you are ready to look for your next car, start with the cars on Car Domain, and use our car loan calculator to see what the repayments on a finance deal could look like before you talk to a lender.
Sources
- Motor1, McLaren P1 Flooded By Hurricane Ian After Just One Week Of Ownership, accessed 2 November 2026
- National Hurricane Center, NOAA, Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Ian (AL092022), 23 to 30 September 2022, accessed 2 November 2026
- Road & Track, via Yahoo Autos, McLaren P1 Flooded in Hurricane Ian Now Seeking Brave Buyer on Copart, accessed 2 November 2026
- St George & Sutherland Shire Leader (Australian Community Media), YouTuber restoring hurricane-damaged McLaren P1, accessed 2 November 2026
- GoAuto, McLaren completes final P1, accessed 2 November 2026
- Carscoops, Did McLaren's Former Design Boss Just Make The P1 Better Or Worse?, accessed 2 November 2026
- NSW Government, Written-off vehicles, accessed 2 November 2026
- Consumer Protection, Government of Western Australia, Commissioner's Blog: Flood cars, avoid buying a washed-up vehicle, accessed 2 November 2026
- Victoria State Emergency Service, 15 to float: Never drive on flooded roads, accessed 2 November 2026
