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F1 Caught Fire in CA...


mini magic
06-01-2009, 08:07 PM
http://wreckedexotics.com/articles/028.shtml


:(

dbsf1
06-01-2009, 08:55 PM
:headshake :eek: :(
Any ideas what chassis number / owner details ?
Such a shame....
This has happened recently?

wilsonc
06-01-2009, 09:47 PM
It says June 1st, which is today, so probably.

dbsf1
06-01-2009, 09:50 PM
:banghead::sorry:

Peloton25
06-01-2009, 10:03 PM
It's probably not #064, but it might be #067.

Hmmm...

McLaren can likely repair the car to as-new, but still a serious bummer for the owner.

>8^)
ER

Peloton25
06-01-2009, 10:29 PM
Watch the video here - Oregon license plate 534 DGU on the nose makes this #067 for sure. :(

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090601/ARTICLES/906019961/1349?Title=Rare-2M-car-burns-up#

Here it was on a much better day:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20H/38965.jpg

>8^\
ER

F1FREAKZILLA
06-02-2009, 12:25 AM
Is this the one that is owned by that guy in Oregon
who owns a bunch of dealerships. He was also on that show
on the HD network "Chasing something Cars"??? The host
was the owner of F40 in Oregon

hurstg01
06-02-2009, 07:28 AM
That sucks BIG time, glad everyone was ok

Peloton25
06-02-2009, 10:46 AM
Is this the one that is owned by that guy in Oregon
who owns a bunch of dealerships. He was also on that show
on the HD network "Chasing something Cars"??? The host
was the owner of F40 in Oregon

No - as the article states, this owner is from Minnesota. He's in the hedge fund/investment business so far as I can tell. The Oregon plate is likely for cheaper registration/taxes as you'll see a lot of expensive cars here in California that wear them. I am pretty sure law enforcement has been cracking down on that as there fewer now than you used to see.

Another point on the Oregon plate could be ease of registration without dealing with the State of California's emissions testing program. However, the previous owner, Elon Musk, did have this car registered in California and drove it regularly so maybe that's a moot point?

>8^)
ER

PatrickT82
06-02-2009, 12:27 PM
awful news

jkbon
06-02-2009, 01:05 PM
Damn !
What the fireman is supposed to do with his hache ? Take a spare part at home ?

svxit
06-02-2009, 05:16 PM
It's probably not #064, but it might be #067.

Hmmm...

McLaren can likely repair the car to as-new, but still a serious bummer for the owner.

>8^)
ER

Agreed. It actually doesn't look that bad. The front half of the car looks to be untouched, and the driver's rear caliper and rotor look fine; even the driver's side luggage lid may not have taken much damage. It will co$t a tidy $um to fix, but these cars are valuable enough that the factory should be able to rebuild it. Having said that, it's interesting that A) the wheel torque wrench is being used to prop up the engine lid, and B) he had a loose bottle of Windex in the luggage bay. Invisible Glass works better. :cool:

Mpowered
06-02-2009, 08:07 PM
:frown: That's enough to make a person physically ill. Some find it humorous (not anyone on this forum but on another forum), but when a piece of art gets destroyed it's really sickening. Eeech!

accelerator
06-02-2009, 08:24 PM
Well, this is incredibly tragic. But nothing can be done about it, it already happened. The real question is why'd it happen? What caused the fire? What specifically does not driving it for 6 months relate? The fact that the oil sits, or what? If it was a fluke, that'd be one thing, but if I was an owner, i'd sure as hell want to know right away possibly with an investigation by McLaren

Peloton25
06-02-2009, 09:13 PM
Well generally cars don't do well when they sit. Things can dry out that shouldn't and become brittle and then break under pressure. Keep in mind too, that this car is 12 years old now, the engine produces a lot of heat in a very small space, and that can accelerate the process of degredation on plastic and rubber items. Perhaps maintenance on the car was somewhat lacking over the years? Maybe someone made a mistake in prepping the car? This car also must have more than average mileage on it as the previous owner was not shy about taking it out. There are any number of unfortunate reasons this could have occured.

The fact that this is an extremely uncommon result for an F1 should tell us that it is probably not something McLaren needs to explain. If there were a rash of these fires, then maybe they would be to blame.

I'd also like to correct my statements about the Oregon license plate. Reading the original thread (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=921830) on this car, it would appear there was a very legit reason for this car to have an Oregon plate. My apologies for suggesting less than appropriate reasons in this case.

>8^)
ER

F1 monster
06-02-2009, 11:22 PM
I suspect a small leak in a pressurized part of the fuel system caused fuel to spray out over hot engine parts or the exhaust, igniting it.

The fuel bladder is known to deteriorate, but I don't think any of the owners would have neglected to replace that at the recommended intervals.

hurstg01
06-03-2009, 10:29 AM
I suspect a small leak in a pressurized part of the fuel system caused fuel to spray out over hot engine parts or the exhaust, igniting it.

The fuel bladder is known to deteriorate, but I don't think any of the owners would have neglected to replace that at the recommended intervals.

I have pics of this car getting prepped ready for delivery through a Scottish airport back to the US from this year IIRC, apparently going back to the owner after being with Mclaren.........

Peloton25
06-03-2009, 10:42 AM
Greg - any chance you have the rest of the pics from this thread?

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/100058-hows-coincidence.html

The fact that it went to Woking about a year ago says something in regards to the care and maintenance it should have received at that time. Wonder if someone else has been working on it since then and left something loose?

>8^)
ER

mini magic
06-03-2009, 11:34 AM
If that car wasn't driven in a few months its entirely possible some critter took up home somewhere in the engine. Most of the people on bimmerforums said this was probably the main guess as to why it happened

Peloton25
06-03-2009, 11:50 AM
That's a good hypothesis too.

If true, hopefully that critter was still in there at the time of the fire. ;)

>8^)
ER

hurstg01
06-03-2009, 12:48 PM
Greg - any chance you have the rest of the pics from this thread?

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/100058-hows-coincidence.html

The fact that it went to Woking about a year ago says something in regards to the care and maintenance it should have received at that time. Wonder if someone else has been working on it since then and left something loose?

>8^)
ER

I don't have those pics Erik - good find BTW :thumbsup:

My post previous to yours was a way of intimating the car had recent maintenance, but on reflection and on reviewing the files now I'm at home it seems the pics were taken early in March 08

Le Man
06-03-2009, 04:35 PM
Looks like the fire possibly started from fuel spraying out of the filler cap under pressure. Perhaps there was a malfunction with the fuel pumps, as they are buried in the fuel tank. (another theory to add to the growing list)

Anyhow, the most important thing is that nobody got hurt and Mclaren will sure restore it, to as "new" in a few months for the unfortunate owner.

This F1 was lucky to get away with a burnt ass. As others on the forum can testify, having viewed footage, there was one very unfortunate F1 that was burnt to a cinder after a very nasty crash.

dbsf1
06-03-2009, 05:22 PM
This F1 was lucky to get away with a burnt ass. As others on the forum can testify, having viewed footage, there was one very unfortunate F1 that was burnt to a cinder after a very nasty crash.
Which one was this? A GTR? or road car? And is the footage public?

Peloton25
06-03-2009, 05:44 PM
It was a road car - chassis #017. Discussion of the crash has appeared numerous times in this forum - a search for "Dawes" will return most results.

Footage of the aftermath of the crash has never been made public. If you can imagine a burnt and blackened, indiscernable pile of rubbish with a portion of a single F1 road car wheel visible on the wrecker and you'll get the idea of what things looked like.

There's a shot of an Enzo wreck that appeared very similar which I can probably find the photo of if I look hard enough. In the case of that Enzo, no one died. However, with the F1, three individuals lost their lives in the crash and subsequent fire, so in respect to them it is probably best that the images haven't found there way onto the web.

>8^)
ER

dbsf1
06-03-2009, 06:01 PM
a search for "Dawes" will return most results.
The name is familiar to me from this site. Did it ever get rebuilt in any way? I am assuming it was well beyond that stage.

Peloton25
06-03-2009, 08:31 PM
To my knowledge, no - F1 chassis #017 was never rebuilt. Under the circumstances, I don't believe McLaren would have undertaken the effort.

Here's that Enzo image. It was quite a similar scene with the F1. :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/General%20Web%20Photos/enzo03.jpg

>8^)
ER

mini magic
06-03-2009, 10:48 PM
Footage of the aftermath of the crash has never been made public. If you can imagine a burnt and blackened, indiscernable pile of rubbish with a portion of a single F1 road car wheel visible on the wrecker and you'll get the idea of what things looked like.

I have some news footage from the time. Someone on here was kind enough to send it to me ;)

I'll get some screen caps when i have a free moment

Le Man
06-04-2009, 03:27 AM
The news footage was public at the time of the accident.

But in respect to the three people who lost their lives, I do not wish to see images spread across the web.

But, I do not object to them being shared privately.

Peloton25
06-04-2009, 04:13 AM
The news footage was public at the time of the accident.

Good point - I should have been more clear when I said that. I also don't think anyone benefits from having that content floating around on the web.

>8^)
ER

F1 monster
06-06-2009, 10:14 AM
Let's get a bit of common sense going here.

If it does not show dead bodies, I don't see what the problem is. It's just another picture of a car mishap. There are millons of them on the web. Why impose your own censorship views on other people after you have clearly had a good look? You can simply provide a link instead of posting the pictures directly, and those who don't wish to look at it can simply choose to not click on the link. Any more restriction than that is merely censorship, and there is harm in censoring information. Let everyone decide for themselves whether they want to see it or not. I am not dying to see the pics, but I wouldn't get "physically sick" if I saw it either.

I do have a problem with having others taking it upon themselves to make the choice for me, though, and with censorship in general. That's just stupid control-freak behavior. Besides, once it's on the web, there is no way you can scrub it off. Posting pictures online of a car involved in an accident has no bearing on whether someone respects the people involved in the accident. There is simply no correlation. You can love or hate or respect or dismiss them all you like. That has nothing to do with pictures of their car on the web.

Would you make the same argument for posting up pictures of oceans or mountains? Plenty of people lose their lives drowning or mountaineering every year. Would you ask someone not to post pictures of racetracks where people have died? Cities? Come on, let's not get so caught up in being politically correct that we lose all common sense here.

Le Man
06-06-2009, 03:10 PM
Let's get a bit of common sense going here.

If it does not show dead bodies, I don't see what the problem is. It's just another picture of a car mishap. There are millons of them on the web. Why impose your own censorship views on other people after you have clearly had a good look? You can simply provide a link instead of posting the pictures directly, and those who don't wish to look at it can simply choose to not click on the link. Any more restriction than that is merely censorship, and there is harm in censoring information. Let everyone decide for themselves whether they want to see it or not. I am not dying to see the pics, but I wouldn't get "physically sick" if I saw it either.

I do have a problem with having others taking it upon themselves to make the choice for me, though, and with censorship in general. That's just stupid control-freak behavior. Besides, once it's on the web, there is no way you can scrub it off. Posting pictures online of a car involved in an accident has no bearing on whether someone respects the people involved in the accident. There is simply no correlation. You can love or hate or respect or dismiss them all you like. That has nothing to do with pictures of their car on the web.

Would you make the same argument for posting up pictures of oceans or mountains? Plenty of people lose their lives drowning or mountaineering every year. Would you ask someone not to post pictures of racetracks where people have died? Cities? Come on, let's not get so caught up in being politically correct that we lose all common sense here.

I think you are missing my point,

Its out of common decency and respect, for the three people who died in the accident and to their living relatives. If these pictures were plastered all over the web and it caused distress to any of the living relatives, it would make me feel bad, to being party to that. May be I,m wrong, but thats due to my up bringin.

Pictures of the wreckage do not exist on the web (as far as I know) So if they do not exist on the web, I am not censoring them. I was fortunate at the time to VHS tape the news footage and recently transfered to DVD which has enabled me to share this content with others. Forum members only need to ask.

In the time I have been on this forum, would you agree that I have been open and have shared a lot of the information that I have on the F1. But I do draw a line in this situation.

Please ask yourself this question, do you know what it feels like to loose a relative or someone close, in a car crash/fire accident?

F1 monster
06-06-2009, 10:55 PM
I was referring to pics of the recent incident, where the car caught fire.

My comments apply to the Chris Dawes incident as well, though. Anyone with a conscience would feel bad if they upset a family member of someone who died...but 10 years on, and after the pic has already been in the public domain, I think you are bending over backwards out of a sense of political correctness that is completely overblown. If you are really that concerned, the same standards should apply to you as to everyone else...but you have the pictures, you have seen them, you made the choice to see them, and you have even saved the pics, and yet you are refusing to allow others the same choice with a holier-than-thou type of justification.

Again, I am not really interested in the pics, of the recent incident or the earlier fatal crash. Just making the point, that's all. Perhaps I am arguing the toss...but I would like to have the same choice as you. I have access to Ogrish.com and other gory sites--although I have not been to them in years, I would be very upset if people decided for me that I could not access those sites. Same principle applies here. I want to be able to decide for myself.

F1 monster
06-06-2009, 11:06 PM
I was referring to pics of the recent incident, where the car caught fire.

My comments do apply to the Chris Dawes incident as well, though. Anyone with a conscience would feel bad if they upset a family member of someone who died...but 10 years on, and after the pic has already been in the public domain, I think you are bending over backwards out of a sense of political correctness that is completely overblown. It was disseminated on TV. It's already in the public domain.

Again, I am not really interested in the pics, of the recent incident or the earlier fatal crash. Just making the point, that's all. Perhaps I am arguing the toss...but I would like to have the same choice as you. I have access to Ogrish.com and other gory sites--although I have not been to them in years, I would be very upset if people decided for me that I could not access those sites. Same principle applies here. I want to be able to decide for myself.

I agree with your sentiments, who wouldn't? But I think you are applying them wrongly. Anyways I do agree you have been most generous and I am glad you are extending the offer to any forum member who asks via pm. That's very nice of you.

Whether I have lost a family member or not would possibly bias my views one way or the other, but it would not make them more valid or correct.

There was a case in southern California (http://bumpshack.com/2009/05/06/porsche-girl-nikki-catsouras%E2%80%99-car-crash-graphic-photos-lawsuit/) a couple of years ago where a family tried its best to keep really horrific pictures of their teenage daughter's fatal car accident off the web. It did not work, and they did suffer a lot of heartache, but they invited a lot of it upon themselves too by creating so much publicity.

Regardless, I do understand and respect your sentiments.

Let's move on.

mini magic
06-07-2009, 08:41 AM
There was a case in southern California (http://bumpshack.com/2009/05/06/porsche-girl-nikki-catsouras%E2%80%99-car-crash-graphic-photos-lawsuit/) a couple of years ago where a family tried its best to keep really horrific pictures of their teenage daughter's fatal car accident off the web. It did not work, and they did suffer a lot of heartache, but they invited a lot of it upon themselves too by creating so much publicity.

Umm. The pictures were leaked out from the police illegally and the parents got them in a spam email. They were never meant to be out in the open

GTI WR6
06-07-2009, 10:59 PM
I just heard. Hopefully Mclaren will build the car to new again. :(

Peloton25
06-08-2009, 12:08 PM
New article - Burned up McLaren headed to England for repairs

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090605/ARTICLES/906059934/-1/NEWS08?Title=Burned-up-McLaren-headed-to-England-for-repairs

Cliff Notes: After seeing photos of the damage, McLaren have apparently given it a 50/50 chance of being repaired. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/Smilies/uhoh.gif

>8^)
ER

ExoticSpotting
06-08-2009, 12:14 PM
I got a photo update notice from WreckedExotics two minutes ago, and the first thing I did was check here but peloton already posted about it.

Such a shame, I wonder if it will be salvaged and the parts sold off?

mini magic
06-08-2009, 01:36 PM
It'll be repaired i'm sure

DMFerrari
01-12-2010, 08:17 PM
The first person who comes to mind is Ron Tonkin... I thought it was something he might of owned.

Peloton25
01-12-2010, 08:38 PM
Yeah, you would think. The owner of the car actually lives in Minnesota and his name is Irv Kessler. It was mentioned in both of the PressDemocrat articles, and when the car was displayed earlier at the SunRiver show.

= = = = = =

Anyway - this forum is super-effective sometimes, surprising even me at times, and I just want to thank some of the folks who might not contribute first hand, but who still keep the details flowing to and through this group of ultra-enthusiasts. :thumbsup:

I made a comment here about the rumor of a recall (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=6092102&postcount=16) related to the F1s this year, and in less time than I would have ever expected an owner who keeps an eye on our fourm sent me a note with these details:

"There is a recall and McLaren is fitting a cat over-temperature warning system and integration with the dash ecu system (ie a reflash).

I did hear various rumors as to what caused the fire, but the official line seems to be a cat failure and hence the recall."

Apparently this can be done by any of McLaren's authorized service centers around the world, free of charge, so no need to return each car to Woking for the work. Wouldn't that have been a chore for some of these cars that don't go very far? Heck, even getting some of the ones the ones to their local center might prove challenging. :uhoh:

Anyway, if you know anyone with an F1, they have probably been informed by McLaren directly, but it can't hurt to spread the word so we don't lose anymore of them in a similar fashion. :)

>8^)
ER

svxit
01-13-2010, 12:25 AM
Yeah, you would think. The owner of the car actually lives in Minnesota and his name is Irv Kessler. It was mentioned in both of the PressDemocrat articles, and when the car was displayed earlier at the SunRiver show.

= = = = = =

Anyway - this forum is super-effective sometimes, surprising even me at times, and I just want to thank some of the folks who might not contribute first hand, but who still keep the details flowing to and through this group of ultra-enthusiasts. :thumbsup:

I made a comment here about the rumor of a recall (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=6092102&postcount=16) related to the F1s this year, and in less time than I would have ever expected an owner who keeps an eye on our fourm sent me a note with these details:



Apparently this can be done by any of McLaren's authorized service centers around the world, free of charge, so no need to return each car to Woking for the work. Wouldn't that have been a chore for some of these cars that don't go very far? Heck, even getting some of the ones the ones to their local center might prove challenging. :uhoh:

Anyway, if you know anyone with an F1, they have probably been informed by McLaren directly, but it can't hurt to spread the word so we don't lose anymore of them in a similar fashion. :)

>8^)
ER


Peloton, after this incident took place, I was wondering about something: Since this was one of the AmeriSpec cars, will it have to be returned to them to redo the engine work they did when it was brought into the U.S.? IIRC from the Dec. 97 R&T, they did a good deal to federalize the seven or so cars they brought in before Show & Display took effect. I know Woking has to do the lions' share of the reconstruction, but still... it would be interesting to see how that plays out.

Peloton25
01-13-2010, 01:12 AM
They, as in Amerispec Corp, don't exist anymore. I think Dick Fritz might still be around, but not sure of that even or what he is doing if he is.

Either way, if the car is put back together, it's paperwork is as they say 'already in order' and bringing it back into the USA should not cause any issues with having to redo any EPA work. Likewise on all the goofy body and interior modifications - it hasn't had them for more than a decade, it won't need them now.

Of course this is all dependent on whether the car is indeed being rebuilt. As I continue to try and confirm its current status, let's keep our hopes up on that. :)

>8^)
ER

mini magic
01-13-2010, 07:17 AM
The damage was pretty extensive but i belive that it was sent back to Woking to be fixed/rebuilt

Peloton25
01-13-2010, 11:33 AM
Yes, it definitely returned to Woking, but you may recall just from seeing photos of the damage they put the chances of rebuilding it at only 50%.

Not that I enjoy looking at the destruction, but these pics were taken of it outside Canepa Design where it went immediately following the fire, and haven't made it into this thread yet:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20I/2mclarenf1_20090610_001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20I/2mclarenf1_20090610_002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20I/2mclarenf1_20090610_003.jpg

>8^)
ER

DMFerrari
01-13-2010, 02:09 PM
If that doesn't get rebuilt I'd be surprised.

Peloton25
01-13-2010, 02:54 PM
I'd love to be that optimistic about it, but a lot of the main chassis/monocoque was damaged in the fire. Here are two great example photos of the basic chassis to give you a better idea.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20E/th_McLaren_F1_4.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20E/th_McLaren_F1_4.jpg) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20E/th_McLaren_F1_5.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v482/Peloton25/McLaren%20F1%20E/McLaren_F1_5.jpg)

While it is possible to cut out certain damaged sections and glue in new pieces, the heat of the fire may have reached too far and done enough damage to require an entirely new chassis be built.

>8^)
ER

hurstg01
01-13-2010, 02:57 PM
Those magicians at Genesis will work their magic and get it back as good as new

:thumbsup:

DMFerrari
01-13-2010, 03:01 PM
Some WD40 and a new set of ball bearings.

http://skyjude.users.btopenworld.com/Images/fletch04.jpg

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