Rowan Atkinson drove his McLaren F1 40,000 miles, totaled it twice and still made a huge profit on it
- Rowan Atkinson had his McLaren F1 for 18 years
- It was involved in two serious smashes
- He still managed to sell it for a huge profit
Published on Feb 23, 2025 at 12:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Feb 19, 2025 at 12:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Rowan Atkinson made a huge profit when he sold his beloved McLaren F1, despite the fact he’d put 65,000km (40,000 miles) on the clock and completely wrecked it in a crash.
The star – best known for playing Mr Bean – bought the McLaren new in 1997 for around $750,000.
Over his 18 years of ownership, he clocked thousands of miles and even ended up in two serious accidents – wrecking the McLaren.
Nonetheless, he was still able to make an eye-watering $11.25 million profit when he sold it.
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Rowan Atkinson has an impressive – and expensive – car collection
Rowan Atkinson has one of the best car collections out there – and even managed to persuade Rolls-Royce to create a special one-off Phantom Coupe for one of his movies.
He previously sold his Lancia Delta Integrale, but reportedly still owns a Bentley Mulsanne Birkin-Edition, a 2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Unlike some car collectors, Atkinson likes to get use out of the high-end motors in his garage, including his McLaren F1.
The 70-year-old actor clocked 65,000km – around 40,000 miles – onto the odometer of his F1 after purchasing it in 1997.
The star’s McLaren F1 was in some serious smashes
He also managed to get caught up in not one, but two, smashes leaving the McLaren F1 a bit banged up but left him, thankfully, uninjured.
The first happened in October 1999 in Lancashire, UK, when Atkinson got into a collision with an Austin Metro.
The second crash happened in August 2011 and resulted in the F1 catching fire after Atkinson reportedly lost control and hit a tree.
The crash caused substantial damage to the F1.
It took more than a year to repair and led to the largest insurance payout in British history – £910,000 (around USD $1,148,438).
After 18 years, Atkinson put the McLaren F1 up for sale saying it was time for someone else to enjoy it.
“I bought it for the quality of 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 said at the time.
And despite its mileage, and its history of serious accidents, the F1 sold through the Taylor & Crawley dealership for a whopping $12 million – netting Atkinson a profit of $11.25 million.
Not bad, eh?
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
