The Rowan Atkinson McLaren F1 supercar is for sale at around £10 million. The comedy actor is ending his rollercoaster relationship with his dark purple supercar having done just 41,000 miles in the vehicle and admits clocking up the majority limited mileage by going to the shops or doing the school run.
Still, the ride hasn’t always been so comfortable for the Mr Bean actor and a serious crash in Haddon, Cambridgeshire in 2011 left his insurance company shelling out nearly £1 million in repairs – the highest ever recorded in Britain at the time. Previously, he had been involved in a low-speed crash with an Austin Metro in 1999.
Now, Atkinson says it is “time for it (the car) to be enjoyed by someone else.”
“I bought it for the quality of the thinking that went into its design, and now it has become a thing of value, it is time for it to be enjoyed by someone else,” he told the Daily Telegraph’s Cars motoring supplement.
“What I enjoyed most about it when I first drove it was how lovely it was to drive slowly. To pootle is a pleasure. Of course I’ve gone to a track and done 200mph in it, but for me it was always the vision of its designer Gordon Murray that made the F1 unique.”
The McLaren is now up for sale by broker Taylor and Crawley, though it is not currently pictured on the company’s website.
“Apart from the accidents, I think Rowan has enjoyed every minute with the F1 and I think he will have withdrawal when it is gone,” said David Clark, owner of Taylor and Crawley, to the Western Daily Press.
A passionate car owner, Atkinson’s collection has included Aston Martins, a Ferrari, Rolls-Royces, a Ford Falcon and a magnesium-bodied Jaguar MK VII.