Bean's favorite cars

You probably remember very well that sketch of Mr. Bean, in which he drives around town, sitting in a chair on the roof of a yellow Mini and manipulating it with a complex system of brushes and brooms.

However, in real life, comedian Rowan Atkinson is interested in very different cars. In fact, he is considered by many to be the UK's biggest sports car enthusiast. His personal collection reveals that most of the royalties for Black Reptile and Johnny English went to Rowan's garage.

McLaren F1, 1997

When it arrived in 1992, the car cost a staggering £535 at the time, but Atkinson didn't hesitate to buy it. Which proves the acumen of the former Mr. Bean: the price of a hypercar is constantly rising, and in 000 he managed to sell it for as much as 2015 million pounds - despite hitting it twice earlier. His second McLaren crash still holds the record for the largest insurance payout at £8.

Aston Martin V8 Zagato, 1986 

Atkinson is probably a good driver because he has raced classic cars for many years and has won quite a few. But he doesn't do well with supercars - in addition to two crashes with his F1, he also managed to crash this rather rare Aston Martin V8 Zagato. Here the balance was no longer in his favor - repairs cost 220 thousand pounds, and Atkinson managed to sell the car for only 122 pounds.

Ford Falcon Sprint, 1964 

Rowan also owns this pretty solid race car from the 60s. And yes, you guessed it - he also crashed with him. But at least this time it happened during the competition - Goodwood Revival's Shelby Cup in 2014.

Bentley Mulsanne Birkin-Edition, 2014 

The car that Atkinson drives to social events. But it is no coincidence that this car bears the name of the legendary Le Mans straight, where Bentley dominated in 1928, 1929 and 1930. One of the winners at the time was Sir Henry Birkin, in whose honor a limited edition was created. Atkinson himself also paid tribute to the late Sir Henry with his 1995 film Full Throttle.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, 2011 

Most of the owners of such cars use them for walks in the Monte Carlo casinos. Rowan Atkinson, however, was interested in something else, and he ordered his version to be equipped with an experimental nine-liter V16 engine.

BMW 328, 1939 

It is not just the first classic BMW model, but a real car that won the mythical Mille Miglia rally in the hands of Huskke von Hanstein and Walter Baumer. The car has been restored with the utmost care and Atkinson is very careful not to damage it in the same way as his McLaren and Aston Martin.

Lancia Delta HF Integrale, 1989 

Rowan had another Delta in the 80s and in 1989 replaced it with this most powerful 16 valve version. An enthusiastic Mr. Bean even wrote an article about it in Car magazine: “I can’t imagine another car that can get you from point A to point B faster than this,” he insisted.

Lancia Theme 8.32, 1989 

The Italian idea of ​​a luxury limousine - impeccably comfortable and stylish, though not surprisingly reliable. The Atkinson version has a Ferrari engine under the hood - the same 8-valve V32 also found in the Ferrari 328.

Mercedes 500E, 1993

The famously shy Atkinson does not like to attract the attention of McLaren or Aston. Therefore, in everyday life, he uses more modest-looking, but not slower cars. Such is his 500E - a sort of ordinary sedan, under the hood of which, however, there is a five-liter V8. With it, the W124 accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in just five and a half seconds. Atkinson sold his Mercedes in 1994 but liked it so much that he sought it out and bought it back in 2017.

Honda NSX, 2002 

The "Japanese Ferrari" is one of Mr. Bean's favorite cars, and this is not surprising, given that the decisive word in its development was a certain Ayrton Senna.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage, 1977 

Rowan's first "real" car. Painted in his favorite burgundy color, this car is inspired by American muscle cars and has a 5,3-liter engine. Atkinson bought it in 1984 with his first big television royalties and owns it to this day.

And a car that I would never buy

Most of these collections feature a 911, but Atkinson admits he would never buy a Porsche. Not because of the qualities of the car - "they are great cars", but because of the other customers of the brand. “For some reason, typical Porsche owners are not my type,” Rowan explained some time ago.