From Mr Bean to Mr Machine: Inside Rowan Atkinson’s million-dollar car collection

When you think of Rowan Atkinson, odds are the first image in your head is Mr Bean scooting around in that tiny lime-green Mini Cooper.

But in reality, Atkinson is anything but a slowpoke on the road.

Behind the scenes, he’s an absolute petrolhead with a deep love for high-performance cars.

In fact, his car collection is almost as legendary as Mr Bean’s iconic Mini, but they are way faster.

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The famous 1997 McLaren F1 owned by Mr Bean

The (former) crown jewel of Atkinson’s collection is his McLaren F1.

Atkinson bought this iconic supercar back in 1997 for around $830,000, getting his hands on one of only 106 McLaren F1s ever produced.

He famously drove it often, and even crashed the car twice. The first incident happened in 1999, when the Mr Bean actor rear-ended the F1 into another car, causing damage to the hood.

The other accident resulted in an insurance payout of £910,000, or over $1.4 million at the time in 2013, reportedly the highest ever at the time in the UK.

He eventually sold the car in 2015 for an eye-watering £8 million, which was worth $12.2 million at the time, which is pretty good for a car with nearly 41,000 miles on the clock.

Aston Martin V8 Zagato (1986)

Another notable ride from Mr Bean’s garage collection is his Aston Martin V8 Zagato.

Atkinson actually had two of them: one road-going version and one for the track.

He used the race-spec Zagato in historic motorsport events, proving he doesn’t just collect cars, but is an active racer as well.

The British comedian would spend a decade behind the wheel of this V8 beast, which included a 2001 crash (sounds familiar?), although he and the car emerged relatively unscathed from this one.

The car was last listed for sale in 2021, and is likely to command a hefty price tag.

Ford Falcon Sprint (1964)

The Ford Falcon Sprint is another iconic race car, and no surprises here, Atkinson crashed this one too.

At least this time it was during a competition, during the Goodwood Revival’s Shelby Cup race in 2014.

Decked out in turquoise, this particular car isn’t exclusively built for track racing, and you can enjoy driving it on the roads as well.

The actor bought the car in 2006, and put it up for sale in 2021.

2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead (driven by Johnny English, not Mr Bean)

Most people buy a Rolls-Royce for the ultimate luxury and presence, but Atkinson’s Phantom Drophead was anything but typical.

His version made headlines because it wasn’t powered by the standard V12 engine.

Instead, the Johnny English star convinced Rolls-Royce to install a massive 9.0 litre V16 engine, which was originally developed as a prototype.

The V16 engine was never intended for public release, being built for the carmaker’s internal testing when BMW first took over the brand.

It is believed that Atkinson’s car is the only one in existence with this beast of an engine.

Honda NSX (2002)

On the other end of the spectrum, Atkinson’s Honda NSX is a Japanese supercar with a totally different philosophy.

The original NSX was Honda’s first serious crack at competing with Ferrari and Porsche, and fans would agree that the carmaker nailed it.

Atkinson certainly seems to like the car, praising it for being engaging to drive without needing extreme speed or flashiness.

Unlike many high-end sports cars in the 1990s, the NSX was known for being reliable and usable.

This was likely what made it appeal to Atkinson, who certainly preferred to actually drive (or crash) his cars, rather than let them collect dust. The post From Mr Bean to Mr Machine: Inside Rowan Atkinson’s million-dollar car collection appeared first on Supercar Blondie.