Super sports car - Expensive even for millionaires: Why changing tires on the McLaren F1 costs 50,000 euros
When it comes to particularly expensive and exclusive cars and their subsequent costs, Bugatti is not alone(What it really costs to drive a Bugatti Chiron). Even those who get behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini or McLaren need deep pockets to maintain their vehicles - and not just when it comes to filling up the tank. As the YouTube channel"Donut Media" points out, even a tire change can be responsible for a total loss of your wallet.
In their video "Cool Cars That Suck To Own", the experts focus on the cost of the McLaren F1. This car is an extremely rare vehicle that was built just 75 times as a road version and 31 times for the racetrack. Special models such as the "F1 LM" shown in the picture above only rolled off the production line six times. This is also reflected in its price: a "conventional" McLaren F1, if you can buy one at all, is already worth tens of millions at auction, while the special editions cost well over 20 million euros.
So it is not a matter of course that you can call such a vehicle your own and then drive it - an accident like the one Mr. Bean had back then is now damn expensive(Mr. Bean crashes his McLaren F1). But assuming you're one of the lucky ones to own the car, how much do you have to invest to maintain it?
Everything about the McLaren F1 has an expiration date - including the fuel tank
Firstly, there are the parts that you never actually replace in a normal car. According to "Donut Media", the operation of a McLaren F1 requires a gearbox change every few thousand kilometers or after three years. The fuel tank also has to be replaced every five years - regardless of whether you have driven the F1 or not. That alone costs 90,000 euros. An oil change costs 8,000 euros, and together with the annual inspection, the total cost is said to be over 30,000 euros.
An interesting list of the work steps involved in changing the tank, as described by"Autocar", shows the reasons for this. According to this, this service alone takes 83.5 hours and requires the removal of the entire engine. Incidentally, this is not done in an independent workshop, but only at selected locations thousands of kilometers away, depending on where the owner lives. In the USA, for example, there are only two addresses.
Changing tires is also dishonestly expensive - at least if you stick to McLaren's specifications. This is because the manufacturer not only requires a trip to the garage and half an hour's work for new tires, but also imposes very special requirements. Accordingly, McLaren will require owners of an F1 to rent a racetrack for the tire change, where a certified driver from the company, together with trained personnel, will ensure that the car drives as it should with the new tires.
Once the special tires, which cost around 6,000 euros per set, have been fitted, the entire chassis has to be retuned. This is to compensate for slight imbalances in the air distribution of the tires and the age of the material so that the vehicle can develop its full performance. This also includes an extensive check and adjustment of the brakes, which have to be adapted to the new tires. McLaren apparently prescribes this work even if only one tire needs to be replaced, for example due to a puncture.
Former owner regrets the sale
"Donut Media" summarizes the maintenance of a McLaren F1 as follows: "Almost every important part on the car has an expiration date." For the Youtuber, it is clear that this makes the car a "beautiful nightmare". Years ago, a former owner named Bruce Weiner, who made a lot of money with sweets, also spoke about the enormous costs.
He confirmed the unbelievable upkeep that McLaren had planned for the car. When he unsuspectingly bought the car, a bill fell into his lap. The previous owner had had the car repainted by McLaren. What would have cost a few thousand euros for a conventional car cost 280,000 euros for the F1, according to the invoice. "I'd never heard of such a thing, but when I saw what McLaren had to do, I understood. The paint job took six months, they had to take the whole car apart."
For Weiner, the upkeep was clearly too high after a short time. He sold the car again after just one year. Today he regrets this very much - because despite the enormous operating costs for the mere maintenance, his original investment of around one million euros would have been twenty times higher.
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Source: www.stern.de
