(sorry, we tried, but couldn't find a lower quality image than what the Telegraph had.)
Rowan Atkinson -- Mr. Bean -- lost control of his McLaren F1 on the A605 in Haddon, Cambridgeshire spinning it off the road and hitting a tree causing the hyper-rare hyper-car to....::gulp:: catch fire... Fire crews had no problem extinguishing the fire, but it appears they were too late and the car was totaled. Atkinson, though, is worth a small fortune and McLaren is good at fixing things...if it's possible to get this back on the road, it will be.
The 56 year old Atkinson suffered minor injuries and required surgery on his shoulder, but has since been released from the hospital.
Those of you paying close attention to the celebrity / supercar scene will know that this is not the first time that Rowan has crashed this McLaren, the first time was an accident involving an Austin Metro.
throwback says:
10:06 AM, 08/ 5/11
Ouch, hate seeing such a rare and desirable car totaled.
_feloniousmonk says:
10:38 AM, 08/ 5/11
throwback says:
"Ouch, hate seeing such a rare and desirable car totaled."
Imagine how Mr. Atkinson feels. This is obviously his favorite car as he's managed to hang onto it for a long time and put some (relatively) significant miles on it. He's definitely one of the "true" enthusiasts who genuinely enjoys driving/racing. Hope this wasn't the result of something stupid and I'm glad he's doing alright. The man's a comedic genius and has brought a veritable ass-load of laughs over the years.
inlinesix says:
11:16 AM, 08/ 5/11
+1 to feloniousmonk
agnh says:
01:03 PM, 08/ 5/11
Geico Represenative: I'm sorry sir, it appears we can no longer save you that 15%.
tmanz says:
02:30 PM, 08/ 5/11
+1 on the congrats to him for actually driving the car.
traven72 says:
03:43 PM, 08/ 5/11
I hope Mr. Atkinson (& his automobile) makes a quick & painless recovery. I did not know he is a car enthusiast, yet another reason to admire him.
porschecarrera says:
03:44 PM, 08/ 5/11
Should Mr. Bean be driving a supercar in the first place? Maybe a Smart car, but not a McLaren.
danwilson1 says:
03:48 PM, 08/ 5/11
I'm sorry to say this, but:
THIS is funny.
Mr. Bean is not funny at all.
v8vader says:
05:58 PM, 08/ 5/11
+1 inlinesix
cz_75 says:
07:32 PM, 08/ 5/11
Perhaps he should retire the F1 to track duties in a controlled environment and get an MP4-12C to putter around in at super-legal speeds? It's obvious the F1 is very intolerant of mistakes.
banhugh says:
07:36 PM, 08/ 5/11
+1 v8vader
blueguydotcom says:
11:45 PM, 08/ 5/11
Unlike diaper wipers like leno, atkinson really loves driving. Oh to have millions to play with...
lolxd says:
04:07 AM, 08/ 6/11
It must've been because of that idiot in the blue reliant robin coming the other way.
lateloop says:
08:00 AM, 08/ 7/11
According to a British news article I read, the car was only "lightly injured" and would be sent for repairs. This is the 2nd time he's crashed the same car. It's also the same F1 Top Gear used in their drag race with a Veyron a few seasons back.
noburgers says:
10:13 AM, 08/ 7/11
I'm sorry you switched insurance companies, Mr Atkinson. Is your car up a wire again?
No seriously, that's a real shame. Glad he's OK. Every article I've seen on IL with Rowan proves he likes to drive at the limit. Maybe he should stick to the track (no pun intended).