Some may not know that actor Rowan Atkinson is a huge car guy. Which is why he never thought of his McLaren F1 as in investment, but rather as a toy for those who are enthusiastic about fast cars and spectacular designs.
Ironically, after 17 years and 41,000 miles, the car has become quite the investment. In fact this thing could even fetch something in the low eight digits – which is not a bad way to part with a car that brought you so much excitement (and two unfortunate accidents).
Of course, the former Mr Bean actor is passionate about cars in general, not just his McLaren. He’s also owned Aston Martins, Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, among others. While talking to The Telegraph, Atkinson spoke about why he chose to keep his F1 longer than any other car he’s ever owned.
“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 200 mph in it, but for me it was always the vision of its designer Gordon Murray that made the F1 unique, ” he said. It’s a philosophy that McLaren still uses to this day (with the 12C and then the 650S being some of the easiest to live with supercars in the world. Even the P1 hypercar is exceptionally docile at low speeds.
Aktinson added that having this car for so long has “not been an ownership experience so much as a partnership. You feel the car putting its arm around you and saying let’s go for a drive together.” And to drive this car meant to drive a 6.1 liter V12 engine, producing 627 HP, which in turn will get you from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. In 1998, the McLaren F1 set the record for the world’s fastest production car by hitting 243 mph (391 km/h).
We’re sure it’s not easy for him to let the car go, but whoever ends up buying it, is going to do so because of their love for supercars, so it will surely end up in very good hands.
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