They purchased a burned 2016 McLaren 650S Spider sight unseen. It was the cheapest on the salvage car market. They just had to have it despite all the red flags that it came with. The listing claimed that it did not run, it did not drive, and it had some mysterious engine burn damage.
JR and Christian go to the Copart yard in Phoenix, Arizona, to see the McLaren 650S Spider that they purchased online for the very first time. The sports car had been sitting there for almost two years. It is now covered in a thick layer of dust.
With the driver’s window down and protected only by some tarp, the cabin is even worse. It gathered all the dirt of Arizona. They only hope that the rain did not affect the electronics on board. Those displays can’t possibly be cheap.
The two brothers are aware that it was an impulse buy that they might regret one day. There are so many issues with this car, the listing claimed. The mileage is unknown and it's got mechanical issues. What it didn't say is that the two tires on the rear axle were flat, so they assume they must have been punctured during the fire.
JR and Christian had a McLaren before. They bought an MP4-12C several years ago, but 10,000 miles (16,093 kilometers) later, they got an offer they just could not refuse. So, the car left, and they were left with zero McLarens.
Photo: JR Garage | YouTube
The one they bought now was originally sold by a dealership in Arizona for over $300,000 in 2016. JR and Christian have known about it for around two years and were hoping it would become cheaper over time. All they know is that it was in the garage of a house that caught fire. But the firefighters got to it before it was severely burned. How much of the car the fire affected they have yet to find out.
By the way that the McLaren 650S looks, they suspect it is a very low-mileage car. Furthermore, the last Carfax entry showed 3,900 miles (6,276 kilometers). After the fire, the insurance company reportedly decided that the sports car could be fixed. But the owner did not want a damaged and fixed McLaren. So, they declared it a write-off and the owner got his money.
The two of them visit the AZ Cycle shop to get some used car parts and fall in love with a superbly red supercharged Dodge Viper. But the car had fallen victim to fire, and its whole interior melted. However, they are not after a Viper, but in search of McLaren parts. And, luckily for them, a 675 LT arrives at the shop, ready to be dismantled.
Their McLaren has a carbon front bumper, carbon air intakes, and carbon wheel, and it's got the foldable hard top. The downside is that spiders have invaded the McLaren 650S Spider during all the time spent out in the open and they took some with them on the trailer.
Photo: JR Garage | YouTube
The key of their new McLaren is useless because the battery is dead. So, they need to find a way to pop the rear lid open, change the battery, and see how the engine looks. A keyhole underneath the sill pops the door open.
What they don't understand is why there are so many circles drawn in white on the green paintwork of the McLaren. They don’t point out any issues on the paint.
The good news is that there is no smell of smoke in the cabin. With a new battery in, the dashboard still doesn't light up. But with a new $2 battery bought on Amazon and installed in the key fob, it finally happens. The odometer shows 3,931.8 miles (6,328 kilometers). So the McLaren was declared a write-off just 30 miles after the last Carfax entry.
They also open the engine hood, and what they see inside is great news. There is no trace of fire damage in there. So, they fire up the engine and it starts with no hesitation, sounding like it longs to be driven. And this is happening after the listing claimed it didn't run, it didn't drive, it didn't… anything!
Photo: JR Garage | YouTube
That's McLaren's 3.8-liter V8, which pumps out 641 horsepower (650 metric horsepower) and 500 pound-feet (678 Newton meters) of torque. A dual-clutch semi-automatic with manual shift mode puts the power down through the rear wheels.
Those are enough to make the 650 S flash from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 3.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 215 mph (346 kph).
They roll the car down the trailer and roll the windows up, but they don't go all the way up. Surprisingly, even the air conditioning works, even though the McLaren sat parked for such a long time.
So, purchasing a car practically drowning in red flags, sight unseen, turned out well for JR and Christian. At least, so far.
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