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.
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.
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
