- While flood waters may have damaged the Ferrari’s interior, key electronics still function.
- The car’s 4.3-liter V8 could serve as the perfect powertrain for an epic engine swap.
- Most of the California’s body panels appear to be damage-free.
A Ferrari California hit the market and while the Lightning McQueen-inspired grand tourer looks to be in excellent condition, it has a salvage title due to flood damage. This, however, didn’t put off one buyer for paying an undisclosed sum for it.
Limited details are known about the flood that damaged this California but given that it’s located in Florida, there’s a good chance it was damaged by either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton a couple of months ago. Photos reveal the water line reached roughly three-quarters the way up the wheels, likely meaning it found its way into the Ferrari’s cabin.
Read: Hurricane Milton Tossed A Porsche GT3 And Boxster Into A Florida Pool
The exterior, including the massive Lightning McQueen graphics, looks to be in great shape, and most of the body panels can probably be taken off and resold. The wheels also look to have escaped damage, and they, alongside the brakes, may be salvageable. Then there’s the engine.
The Copart listing doesn’t state if the car runs or not, but an image of the dash shows that the electronics still work, at least in some capacity, and as long as the V8 hasn’t ingested too much water, it probably still runs. While the California’s 4.3-liter naturally-aspirated mill isn’t quite as prized as the 4.5-liter of the 458 Italia, it still delivers a respectable 454 hp and sounds absolutely fantastic. It may need to be rebuilt, but if it can be saved, it could be used as part of an epic engine swap, or sold as a replacement engine for any California out there with a blown V8.
Then again, there’s always the chance that whoever purchased the Ferrari did so with the intent of repairing whatever damage it has suffered from the flood and return it back on the streets.
