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Mr Bean actor smashes up McLaren F1 supercar on way home from work

Trevor Mogg
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British actor Rowan Atkinson, famous for his roles as hapless nitwit Mr Bean and bungling spy Johnny English, had a lucky escape Thursday night when he crashed his McLaren F1 supercar.

The accident happened on a quiet road about an hour north of London as the actor was driving home after spending the day working on his latest Johnny English movie.

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According to a Daily Mirror report, he suffered a fractured shoulder in the crash, which saw the car skid off a wet road, hit a road sign and burst into flames. It sounds to us like a very lucky escape indeed.

Atkinson, 56, was able to climb out of the wreck and was taken to hospital for treatment to his shoulder. He was allowed home on Friday.

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Following the smash, Atkinson was interviewed by police and provided a negative breath sample.

Peter Bennett-Jones, the actor’s agent, told the Mirror: “The car has been removed and I’m sure he won’t want it to be written off. He will want to get it repaired straight away.” He added: “He will be very rattled and I think he’ll want to keep as low profile as possible.”

According to a USA Today report, the supercar has a top speed of 240 mph with a 3.2-second 0-60 acceleration, and was one of only 106 made. In London three years ago, one of these machines sold at auction for more than $4 million (£2.4 million).

Although many people will be more familiar with seeing the famous actor behind the wheel of a modest Mini as the awkward Mr Bean, Atkinson is also known to have a penchant for flashy cars. Besides his now-wrecked McLaren, he also owns a number of rare cars including a $200,000 (£125,000) Aston Martin Virage and a vintage Rolls Royce.

And fans of BBC TV’s Top Gear might have seen him recently take part on the show’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment where a celebrity races around a test track in an effort to beat the time of all those who’ve gone before. Atkinson came top.

The comedy actor once said that he “derives pleasure from anything four-wheeled, from a go-kart to a Bentley.” Judging by the way he handled his McLaren the other day, perhaps he should stick to a go-kart from now on.

Featured image: Glenn Standish

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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