Today The Car Spotter will be talking about Rowan Atkinson’s McLaren F1 that has been listed for sale.
Rowan Atkinson is an avid car enthusiast and collector, he is known for his comedy roles as Johnny English and Mr Bean. He has made several appearances at Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival over the years, and in the last couple of days news has emerged that he is selling his personal McLaren F1 for a very large sum of money.
McLaren F1s have a 6.1-litre BMW V12 producing 621bhp, allowing the lightweight lightweight McLaren to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 240mph. The McLaren F1 was cutting edge for a supercar in the 90’s and it still impressive today.
Rowan Atkinson in the McLaren F1
Rowan Atkinson next to his McLaren F1, with matching coloured shirt
He bought 1 of 106 McLaren F1’s in 1997 for £540,000. Only 72 of the McLaren F1’s are street legal and he has decided it is time for the car to have a new owner. He is asking for £8 million which is the equivalent of $12 million or nearly €11 million. The car is being sold by specialist London dealer Taylor and Crawley. On 5th May 2014, a British petrol head broke the record for highest price paid for a modern sports car, with the particular red McLaren F1 chassis 28 costing him £6 million.
The maroon McLaren F1 has been driven quite regularly for a supercar of this level, often completing the school run and using it to go to the shops. Subsequently, the car has a total of 41,000 miles on the clock and has been involved in two serious car crashes. In 1999, the McLaren hit an Austin Metro at low speed. In 2011 Rowan Atkinson lost control of the car on a bend and crashed into a tree. Both times the car was repaired at the McLaren factory, making it virtually brand new each time. The latest crash was estimated to fetch a repair bill of £900,000 and the car spent 2 years at the McLaren factory being fixed. The insurance payout was claimed to be the largest in the UK for a single vehicle accident.
Wrecked McLaren F1 after a car crash
McLaren F1 crashed into a tree, repairs totalling over £900,000
Apparently, the car was never intended to be bought as an investment, and Rowan is said to have used the car frequently, once driving the car to Europe with his wife and child as the car has a strange three seat interior layout. He bought the McLaren for the “quality of thinking that went into the design, and now it has become a thing of value, it is time for it to be enjoyed by someone else.”
Personally, I think it is clear to see the McLaren F1 is a desirable and brilliant 90’s supercar. It has clocked up more miles than most examples and obviously Rowan Atkinson is banking on his celebrity status to ensure the car fetches the full asking price, which seems high even for a McLaren F1.
Although the car has been involved in two accidents, owners see this as history and it has been professionally repaired at the McLaren factory both times which means the value won’t be affected as it will be almost new each time it has been repaired. Circulating rumours say Rowan Atkinson may be out to purchase the McLaren P1, which costs approximately £1 million. This would leave him with some spare change if he received the full asking price for the maroon McLaren F1.
McLaren F1 crashed into a tree, repairs totalling over £900,000
Rowan Atkinson’s maroon McLaren F1 next to an even rarer silver McLaren F1 GTR
I would prefer the supercar in another colour as maroon would not be my first choice however that is down to personal taste. Surely there will be more pristine examples with lower mileage out there that can be snapped up for less, but time will tell if the McLaren F1 sells for a new record price.
Specification:
McLaren F1
0-60mph: 3.2 seconds
Top Speed: 240mph (386km/h)
Bhp: 627
Torque: 479 lb-ft (649Nm)
Engine: 6.1L V12
Transmission: 6-speed manual RWD
Weight: 1,138kg
Price: £450,000 € 600,000 $678,000 (when new)
What are your thoughts on the McLaren F1? Is the asking price too much? What about the relatively high mileage and two accidents the car has been involved in? Do you like the maroon colour?
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