Mr. Bean’s Rare Car Racks Up $1.4 Million In Repair Charges


Rowan Atkinson, the actor known for his character Mr. Bean, managed to rack up a $1.4 million repair bill after crashing his rare McLaren F1 car last year.

The astonishing figure reportedly marks one of the largest auto insurance settlements in British history. The high-performance McLaren F1 extensively utilizes carbon fiber and required the expertise of a specialist for repair. Merely calculating the sizable insurance estimate took several weeks while the repair process lasted for more than a year.

The Associated Press writes that the quality components involved with McLaren F1 cars highly impacted the financial cost of returning the vehicle to working condition. Ben Stagg, specialty insurer with RK Harrison, gave further detail:

“All modern supercars are predominantly carbon fiber — most Lamborghinis, most Ferraris — and the smallest ding in carbon fiber is a big repair job. And part of the engine bay is gold, that’s the best heat conductor. It’s the materials they used compared to everyday cars that make it so expensive.”

While most luxury car owners treat their vehicles with kid gloves, Rowan Atkinson makes frequent use of his rare ride. The Mr. Bean actor told Classic & Sports Car magazine, which featured a story about the actor and his car, that he finds it depressing when “great cars are hidden away.”

Magazine editor Alastair Clements appreciates the actor’s outlook:

“He let us do the story because he wanted other enthusiasts to know that he loves it, that he isn’t just some celebrity with an expensive car, that he’s owned it for 15 years and loved it for 15 years. He’s put it back exactly as it was. He’s a bit of a hero. It’s much more than the value.”

According to Scotsman.com, Atkinson purchased the rare car in 1997 for just over $1 million. It was a slippery patch of road in 2011 that caused the actor to crash the McLaren F1. At the time of the accident, the car had reportedly been driven a total of 38,000 miles.

With its restoration now complete, the Atkinson is back on the road behind the wheel of his beloved rarity. He has reportedly expressed the intent to bring the McLaren’s mileage up to 100,000 miles, a much higher number than usually seen in such an expensive car.

What do you think of Mr. Bean’s car racking up $1.4 million in repair charges?

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