Mr. Bean's 1997 McLaren F1 Sells For $12 Million

Jun 10, 2015 10:14 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Mr. Bean has done it again.

Despite two accidents and more than $1.4 million worth of repairs, comedian Rowan Atkinson was able to sell his limited 18-year-old McLaren F1 recently for a quite a hefty sum.

Purchased back in 1997 for about 540,000 pounds ($830,000 USD), Rowan made more than a profit on the three-seat luxury car, which sold for $12 million to an unknown buyer.

"Everyone is very pleased with the sale. There was interest from around the world and it has gone to a British buyer who will drive it like Rowan did," said David Clark, car dealer at Taylor & Crawley and former director at McLaren, according to the Daily Mail. "It is one of the biggest ever deals in the UK. Rowan is pleased, but also maybe a bit sad as he did 40,000 miles in it."

Atkinson didn't just let the deep purple F1 sit around his garage to collect dust like some celebrities. The comedian put more than 41,000 miles on the odometer during the past 18-years and crashed the car on two separate occasions.

In 1999, Atkinson rear ended a Rover Metro and in 2011 he drove the McLaren into a tree near Oxfordshire after losing control of the vehicle, according to the Daily Mail.

Damages were so bad from the most recent incident repairs cost the actor $1.4 million to fix, easily the largest insurance payment ever for a car in the U.K.

Even though Atkinson is sad to see the car go, it seems like the amount he spent to repair his treasured vehicle was worth it.

"I bought it for the quality of the thinking that went into its design, and now it has become a thing of value it is time for it to be enjoyed by someone else," said Atkinson, according to the Daily Mail. "It's so quiet, so comfortable that you can use it, and enjoy it, on any journey."

Click below to see the fully repaired, and recently sold, McLaren F1 in all its glory.

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