How Mr. Bean Sold his Broken McLaren F1 for 12 million
When buying a used car, they are most afraid of becoming the owner of a broken car. Such cars can present unpleasant surprises, so they are not valued very much. But if you are a world-famous comedian, then this rule does not work for you. British actor Rowan Atkinson, who played the clumsy Mr. Bean in films and sketches for many years, sold his old McLaren F1 supercar after two accidents for much more than he bought.
Rowan Atkinson, whom we know only as Mr. Bean, is a well-known British sports car collector and professional racer. In the mid-90s, he spent two seasons in the Renault 5 GT Turbo monocup, and in 1997 he was ready to buy his first sports car. It was a magnificent McLaren F1, for which the actor gave 540 thousand pounds.
This car is equipped with a 6.1-liter V12 engine with a capacity of 627 forces. The coupe accelerates to "hundreds" in 3.2 seconds. At the same time, its maximum speed is 372 km/h. But Atkinson didn't flaunt his rotten cherry-colored wheelbarrow for long. In 1999, he crashed it into an Austin Metro subcompact on one of the roads of Lancashire. Repairs then cost almost 100 thousand pounds.
And in 2011, Rowan got into trouble on his pet again. This time he lost control and crashed into a tree. The luxury car caught fire, and the brave pilot injured his shoulder. The car was so badly damaged that it was restored at the McLaren base in Woking is almost a year old. Atkinson this time received a record insurance payout in the UK for an accident — 910 thousand pounds.
In total, the actor invested about 1.5 million pounds (105.4 million rubles) in the restoration of his car. It seemed that the unlucky car brought only losses to its owner. But it was not there. Atkinson easily sold McLaren F1 for $ 12 million (690 million rubles).
Yes, these are not the only accidents in Mr. Bean's life. In 2011, barely recovering from a collision on a McLaren, he was in a car accident again. This time on an Aston Martin V8 Zagato during an amateur car race. And in 2014, he crashed a magnificent Ford Falcon Sprint during a competition at the Goodwood Festival.
By the way, Atkinson is well known in Goodwood — he is a regular at the festival. In 2020, the 65-year-old actor took 17th place in one of the races. At that time, he was driving a Plymouth Barracuda retrocar from his collection.
Considering the number of accidents, one might think that Atkinson is not a very good driver. But don't jump to conclusions. One day he came to the "Top Gear" and showed what he was capable of in the category "Star on a relatively cheap car". His record on the budget Kia Seed remained unsurpassed for a long time.