You have to respect Rowan Atkinson's taste in cars.
Rowan Atkinson may be best known for playing Mr. Bean, but he's also a well- respected car enthusiast having owned a McLaren F1 which cost him over $1 million to repair when he crashed it. The actor is now auctioning two super sedans from his prized collection at next month's Race Retro Classic Car Sale, and while they're nowhere near as desirable as a V12-powered F1 hypercar, they're still special. First up is Atkinson's 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500E, which was built to rival the BMW M5 at the time.
Its sedate design isn't indicative of its potent performance. Powering the German super sedan is a 5.0 liter V8 developing around 320 hp, allowing it to sprint from 0-62 mph in five seconds and to 100 mph in just over 14 seconds. Top speed is 155 mph, and it also features upgraded brakes and suspension. This particular car is the second 500E Atkinson has owned. He liked the sedan so much in the 1990s that he bought another one in 2015. The actor's high standards means it's in excellent condition and has cloth upholstery which he preferred over the standard leather finish. It's covered 50,000 miles and will also be sold with no reserve.
Atkinson is also auctioning off his rare 1989 Lancia Thema 8.32. Like the 500E, it may look like an unassuming sedan, but under the hood is a 2.9-liter V8 taken from a Ferrari 328 that produces 215 hp. It's capable of reaching a top speed of 150 mph, which may not be particularly impressive for today's standards, but such performance was impressive for a sedan at the time. According to the listing on Silverstone Auctions, Atkinson chose this particular Lancia Theme partly because of its rarity as a Series1 version, its excellent condition, and for having velour upholstery since he doesn't like leather finishes in cars.
He owned the car for seven years, during which he spent a small fortune maintaining and improving it with servicing and maintenance. According to the history file the maintenance bills add up to £20,000 (around $27,000). With no reserve, this rare Italian super sedan could be an absolute steal. You have to respect Atkinson's exquisite taste in cars.
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