Rowan Atkinson is arguably one of the most influential actors in existence responsible for one of the most iconic comedic personas ever, Mr. Bean. So, it’s no surprise he owns a whole army of Minis. But not only does Rowan have a funny bone, but he’s also a true automotive enthusiast to his core and loves proper sports cars to death.
He has taken part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and also set an incredible lap time on BBC’s Top Gear back in the day. Many people would never take Mr. Bean as a serious car nut, but we’re here to tell you he’s probably one of the most daring celebrity drivers out there, and as a result, doesn’t allow his collection to just gather dust— he drives his prized possessions to the absolute max.
10 1986 Aston Martin V8 Zagato
Zagato is an Italian coachbuilder who specializes in slightly redesigning unique sports cars, especially Aston Martins, and one of their most gorgeous creations is the V8 Zagato. Not only was this Aston a stunner, but a runner as well… and sometimes a bit too much to handle.
Yep, you guessed it, Rowan crashed his Aston Martin back in 2001 around the Croft Circuit. He then spent around £220,000 to rebuild the Zagato, and evidently auctioned it off for £122,500. Now, by no means are we saying Rowan is a bad driver, but this isn’t the only rare and expensive car he has crashed in his lifetime.
9 1939 BMW 328
Mr. Bean’s taste in cars stretches far beyond the ’50s, as his 1939 BMW 328 proves. His 328 Mille Miglia Roadster was a gorgeous topless sports car painted in a naked silver and was powered by a 2.0-liter straight-six that produced just 79 hp.
-1939-BMW-328.jpg)
Obviously, a car of this age won’t have an extreme horsepower number, but back in the late ’30s, anything that produced more than 50 hp was quite extravagant. The BMW 328 proved to be a hardcore race car; it had a stripped-down bare-knuckled design which resulted in it only weighing 1,800 lbs and had absolutely no safety features or driving assists.
8th 1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale
The Delta HF Inetgrale is considered by most car enthusiasts to be the first-ever super hatch. It had four-wheel drive, a rev-happy 8-valve turbocharged 2.0-liter four-banger under its hood with more than 180 hp, as well as a five-speed standard transmission.
Not everyone fully comprehends the tenacity of this Lancia hatch, and rightly so, because on paper it can’t compete with hot hatches from today’s day and age, but Rowan thinks otherwise. He feels that the Delta is superbly built, a great driver’s car, and actually awfully quick, and he’s not planning on selling it anytime soon.
7 2002 Honda NSX
The Honda NSX, also known as the Acura NSX, is one of the most crucially underrated supercars to ever be built. The 2002-year model ditched the pop-up lights due to some stricter requirements, but still engulfed a naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter V6 which made 255 hp and 104 lb-ft of torque.
Then, it pulled off a 0-60 time in just 4.9 seconds, which was just 0.3 seconds behind the hotter Type-R version. It’s unclear how long Rowan kept his NSX, but he did love driving it to bits while owning it.
6 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Rowan played the role of Johnny English back in 2003, so it’s a no-brainer his taste in cars somewhat aligns with that of the international secret spy, James Bond, too. Therefore, he bought himself a 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage in 1984, and it was even featured in the film, Johnny English Strikes Again.
It might not have been equipped with the advanced technology like missile launchers of 007’s Vantage, but his car still had a handsome design and a muscular 5.3-liter V8 in the front that sent 390 hp to the rear wheels. We can’t get over how well this Aston suits Rowan, just have a look at one of these cool pictures.
5 1952 Jaguar MK7
Now we’re seeing more of Rowan’s inner racecar driver come to life with his Jaguar MK7. He uses this Jag almost purely for racing, and while it was basically a slower four-door variant of the XK120, there is no reason it shouldn’t be equally as fun as its coupe counterpart.
via Fiveprime
His MK7 was powered by a 160 hp 3.4-liter straight-six and could happily achieve speeds beyond 100 mph. 0-60 took place in a painfully slow 13.7 seconds, but like they say: “It’s much more fun driving a slow car fast than it is driving a fast car slow.”
4 1964 Ford Falcon
The 1964 Ford Falcon has to be one of Rowan’s more questionable racecars in his arsenal; you guessed it… it was involved in a crash as well, only this time it was a full head-on collision during the 2014 Goodwood Revival’s Shelby Cup.
His Falcon was no ordinary one either, it was the Sprint edition. This meant it had stiffer suspension, a more vocal exhaust, and its 4.7-liter V8 pumped out upwards of 164 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Rowan decided to sell his Falcon in 2019 through Silverstone Auctions for almost $80,000.
3 2014 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
After crashing and selling his… well that’s our first entry; you’ll have to keep on reading… he acquired a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. This is one of the most criminally underrated supercars of the modern-day, and that’s exactly why it perfectly fits Rowan’s taste in cars.
Via hemmings.com
It was powered by a gigantic naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 tucked underneath the elongated hood and created 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. If gorgeous styling was this list’s topic, the SLS would win hands down with its gullwing doors, stretched-out handsome front, and incredibly low and wide stance.
2 2015 Land Rover Defender Heritage Edition
The Defender has one of the longest lifespans of any car, approximately 30 years, and Mr. Atkinson acquired one of the most valuable special editions. It’s called the Heritage Edition, and it was Land Rover’s way of paying homage to its existence in the 1940s.
Thus, they were only available in two classic colors: dark bronze-green and light pastel Atlantic green. It also had a metal front grille, silver hinges all over, and body-colored window mirrors and alloy wheels. He also eventually sold his Defender back in 2017 after driving it for just over 2,000 miles.
1 1997 McLaren F1
Via The Telegraph
And here’s the one you’ve all been waiting for, the McLaren F1. The F1 is arguably the greatest car to ever be built, and still holds the world record for being the fastest naturally-aspirated production car with a top speed of 243 mph. The F1 was powered by a 6.1-liter BMW-built V12 engine which spat out 618 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque to only the rear wheels – and if you think its power was too much for anyone with 50 years of racing experience to handle, you’d be right.
Inevitably, Rowan crashed his F1 twice throughout his ownership, unfortunately. But once he sold it, he still managed to make a substantial profit. He acquired his dark burgundy F1 in 1997 and paid around £1 million for it, but after the crashes, and hefty repair fees sold it for £8 million.
This Is The Most Gorgeous Car In Mark Zuckerberg’s Collection
readnext
About The Author
Marnus Molman
(89 Articles Published)
Marnus Moolman is a young aspiring automotive writer from South Africa who is making a name for himself, despite his young age. Currently, he is studying to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting to pursue his lifetime dream of running his own automotive detailing establishment.
More From Marnus Moolman
