Summary

• Rowan Atkinson is an avid car enthusiast who owns a diverse collection of cars, including a 1939 BMW 328 Roadster and a 1989 Lancia Thema 8.32.
• Atkinson’s car collection has included iconic cars like a 1977 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage and a 1997 McLaren F1, which was the fastest production car in the world at the time.
• Atkinson has also raced cars, such as a Jaguar MK7 and a modified 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint, and he even had a unique Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead with a special experimental V-16 engine.

Rowan Atkinson is an outspoken car enthusiast – he stated as much during his appearance on Top Gear and performed like a racing driver on his celebrity lap around the production’s circuit. Atkinson is famous for driving a disheveled Mini Cooper while appearing as Mr. Bean. At the other end of the spectrum, Atkinson has driven fantastic cars on screen, including an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, while playing Britain’s second most famous spy, Johnny English.

In real life, Atkinson is a racer at heart. He enjoys driving classic cars around circuits like Goodwood and often attends Formula 1 races. Atkinson’s success has allowed him to indulge in his passion for cars, some of which are surprising. Here are 10 unexpected cars in Rowan Atkinson’s car collection.

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10 1939 BMW 328 Roadster

The BMW 328 Roadster that Rowan Atkinson proudly owns was one of the most dominant racers in the 1930s. In 1937, the car won several races, including the Bucharest Grand Prix and GP des Frontieres. 1938 brought more success for the BMW 328, as it notched two Nurburgring victories and class wins at the Mille Miglia.

Specs and Performance

The car’s engine output may seem paltry nearly a century later, but at the time, 80 horsepower was substantial. Further, the vehicle was super light thanks to its aluminum construction. Driven by Walter Baumer and Huschke von Hanstein, the BMW 328 dominated the 1939 Mille Miglia. World War II prematurely ended the 328’s supremacy on track. Nevertheless, it made such a huge impact that it is considered an automotive legend.

9 1989 Lancia Thema 8.32

The Lancia Thema 8.32 is one of the best sleeper cars of all time: nothing about the vehicle’s exterior suggests that it hides a Ferrari V-8 engine under the hood. The 8.32 Lancia didn’t make much sense – it was costlier than most of its competitors, and its detuned Ferrari engine couldn’t compete with the likes of the BMW M5. However, Lancia’s domination on the rally stage brought attention to the car company and its unusual car.

Specs and Performance

To handle the V-8’s power, the 8.32 featured hardware absent in the standard Thema. For instance, it had retuned suspension, massive front brakes, and an improved five-speed transmission. The 8.32’s interior, complete with a walnut dash and velour seats, oozed elegance. The 8.32 may not have been as fast, agile, or affordable as its rivals, but as a package, the Lancia stood head and shoulders above the rest.

8 2002 Honda NSX

In 2002, Honda revised the NSX’s design to match its illustrious European rivals. The Japanese manufacturer modified the car’s suspension, ditched the pop-up headlights for fixed HID lamps, and extended the front bumper. The changes made the Honda NSX quicker and faster. However, the performance gains failed to improve the NSX’s mediocre sales.

Specs and Performance

Honda developed the original NSX alongside famed F1 driver Ayrton Senna. However, despite the Brazilian maestro’s input, the vehicle never hit the performance heights set by other supercar manufacturers. Three years after the NSX’s substantial revamp, Honda discontinued the car.

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7 1977 Aston Martin V-8 Vantage

The 1977 V-8 Vantage looked more like a muscle car than a supercar; Aston Martin described it as a grand tourer. Regardless, the V-8 Vantage was rapid. Powered by a modified 5.3-liter V-8 plucked from the Lagonda, the V-8 Vantage hit a top speed of 170 MPH. The engine featured modified inlet valves, manifolds, plugs, and camshafts, which increased its power output by 40 percent.

Specs and Performance

Rowan purchased his burgundy Vantage in 1984, becoming the car’s third owner. The actor bought a left-hand drive model and converted it to a right-hand drive. Purchased several years after Atkinson became a household name in Britain, the Vantage was Rowan Atkinson’s first out-of-the-ordinary car. It featured in Atkinson’s film Johnny English Strikes Again.

6 1997 McLaren F1

Rowan Atkinson used part of his pay from the successful Bean film to purchase a McLaren F1. At the time, it was the fastest production car in the world and is still the fastest naturally-aspirated vehicle ever produced. Topping out at 243 MPH, the Gordon Murray-designed McLaren F1 certainly satisfied Atkinson’s craving for speed. Featuring a 6.1-liter V-12 engine that ran so hot the designers had to line the engine bay with heat-reflective gold, the McLaren F1 was a tarmac-ripping rocket ship.

Specs and Performance

The F1 twice proved too hot to handle for Rowan. The repairs following his second crash reportedly cost the insurance company close to a million pounds. Rowan sold the McLaren F1 for eight million pounds, around seven million pounds more than he bought it.

5 Jaguar MK7

Jaguar introduced the MK7 as a cheaper luxury alternative to the likes of Bentley or Rolls-Royce. It had the usual luxury features – a big rounded body with plenty of chrome and a wood and leather interior – and a 160 horsepower engine. Though built as a luxury car, the MK7 had a racing pedigree – the likes of Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorne used the MK7 in touring car races.

Specs and Performance

Rowan Atkinson used his MK7 primarily as a racer. It won him the first podium of his career in the Sopwith Cup at Goodwood in April 2022. Atkinson said in the post-race interview that he reckoned he could have improved to second had the race been longer. The actor praised the car for running reliably during the race. In 2009, however, the MK7 caught fire as Rowan and his wife headed home from a date in London.

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4 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint

The Ford Falcon fared much better in motorsport than in the North American market. The Sprint package added stiffer suspension, a louder exhaust, and a V-8 engine. However, the Sprint wilted under the Mustang’s shadow, which had the Sprint’s extra features as standard.

Specs and Performance

Rowan Atkinson bought the Falcon Sprint for its racing qualities. He modified the car to pass FIA racing standards and raced it in multiple championships. Atkinson crashed the car during a 2014 race – he plowed head-on into two vehicles that had collided in front of him. Rowan was unhurt, and the car suffered minor damage.

3 2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead

Rowan Atkinson’s Phantom Drophead was extra special: a 9.0-liter V-16 engine lay under its massive hood. Atkinson petitioned Rolls-Royce to install an experimental engine in the Phantom for the film Johnny English Reborn. Rolls-Royce developed the engine for a project dubbed 100EX. It’s unclear which vehicle the manufacturer intended to pair with the V-16 engine. However, rumors suggest it was developed for the Phantom four-door sedan, not the Phantom Drophead.

Specs and Performance

Regardless, the V-16 engine never went into production. Rolls-Royce refused to share its specifications – the only thing the manufacturer shared was the engine’s displacement and layout. Against his wishes, Rowan didn’t get to push the vehicle to the limit in the film or off-set. Consequently, the V-16 Drophead’s performance remains classified.

2 Land Rover Defender Heritage

The Heritage was a special Defender built to pay tribute to the world-conquering car. It featured ‘HUE166’ badges to pay homage to the Defender’s first number plate. Rowan Atkinson was one of the 400 people who bought Heritage. It featured a 120-horsepower turbocharged diesel and wasn’t very fast, topping out at 90 MPH. However, like many other Defenders before it, it could go practically anywhere it wanted.

Specs and Performance

Rowan did only 2,620 miles in the car before auctioning it. Despite the vehicle being virtually new, Atkinson serviced it before placing it on sale. It’s unclear why Rowan ditched this unique Land Rover Defender.

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1 1986 Aston Martin V-8 Zagato

Rowan Atkinson paid top dollar to acquire one of the 52 Zagato coupes Aston Martin manufactured. He then paid Aston Martin Works to transform the Zagato into a racer. Aston Martin’s classic car wing tuned the engine, increasing power output to 482 horsepower and 412 pound-feet. They also installed lightweight panels and windows, shaving 330 pounds from the vehicle.

Specs and Performance

Atkinson crashed the Zagato during a 2001 race. He used the car for a decade before placing it on sale. The buyer didn’t get the souped-up V-8 Zagato modified for Atkinson: the vehicle was detuned to restore it to production spec.