Have $15 Million To Spare? ‘Mr. Bean,’ Rowan Atkinson Is Selling His McLaren F1 Supercar

Rowan Atkinson, the British comedian, more famously known to Americans as the person who portrays the hilariously hapless ‘Mr.Bean’ has a car for sale. Now, if you are wondering if it is the rickety old green colored Mini Cooper that he is usually seen inside, you’ve got it all wrong.

Atkinson, who in real life is a car connoisseur, has, in an interview to the Telegraph, confirmed that he plans to sell his prized possession and one of the rarest cars on earth – a 1997 McLaren F1. Widely regarded to be among the wackiest sports car of all times, the McLaren F1 was the fastest production you could buy in the late ’90s. This was way before something by the name of the Bugatti Veyron came along. Atkinson was one of the lucky few who could afford to buy the McLaren F1, which back then had a sticker price of over a million dollars.

Now, if you are hoping to get a bargain price for a car that is almost 20 years old, well that is not going to happen. The price estimates for this old McLaren F1 is now in the vicinity of an astounding $15 million, according to NPR. This, in spite of the fact that it has been involved in two accidents — the last of which almost completely totaled it. The last accident reportedly happened after Atkinson lost control of the car causing it to spin around and hit a tree. The car eventually ended up on the wrong lane — and to make matters worse, it caught fire. Atkinson managed to escape the accident with just minor bruises. More surprisingly, the car managed to survive the impact and the subsequent fire — but not before Atkinson paid $1 million to get it repaired. Atkinson was also involved in another supercar accident last year.

But then, for a car that has housed several celebrities and has been inside the garage of one of the world’s best known comedians for all these years, the price of $15 million is probably worth it.

In the interview with the Telegraph, it becomes evident how passionate Atkinson is about the McLaren F1.

“Look at a modern supercar of comparable performance and it will be vast, heavy and offer little or no space for your luggage. By comparison the McLaren F1 is tiny, yet it will seat three, store enough for you all to go on holiday and still finds space for a proper, normally aspirated 6.1-litre V12 engine. And it weighs the same as a shopping car. Nothing has ever been designed before or since with such imagination and clarity of thought.

“The whole point of the car, the thing no one ever writes about, is you don’t need to go to the Stelvio Pass or the Nurburgring to enjoy it. It’s so quiet, so comfortable that you can use it, and enjoy it, on any journey. Most of the miles I have done it in are journeys you might do in any other car: going to Sainsburys or doing the school run.”

Oh and lest we forget, Atkinson’s McLaren F1 has over 41,000 miles on the odometer. Not that this is going to weigh in on your decision to buy the car.

[Image Via The Telegraph]