- Rowan Atkinson crashed his 3m McLaran F1 supercar into a tree in 2011
- Actor has successfully claimed 910,000 to fix the rare model
- Repair bill to get car back on the road is highest ever recorded in Britain
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The Mr Bean and Blackadder star suffered a shoulder injury in the August 2011 crash but his McLaren F1 supercar took a year to recover at the hands of McLaren's technicians
His accident-prone alter ego Mr Bean is every insurer's nightmare.
But spare a thought for Rowan Atkinson's real-life broker.
The actor has successfully claimed 910,000 to fix his McLaren F1 supercar after destroying it in a crash – the highest repair bill ever recorded in Britain.
Atkinson lost control of the 240mph car, thought to be worth more than 3million, in August 2011.
After veering off a slippery section of the A605 near Peterborough, it hit a tree and burst into flames.
But while the 58-year-old star escaped from the wreckage with a broken shoulder, his vehicle – one of just 64 models in the world – did not escape so lightly.
Most of the back of the car was destroyed while the 6.1litre engine ended up 20 yards away.
Atkinson's insurers spent nearly eight months considering the claim, before agreeing the massive payout.
Now, after more than a year of specialist repairs at McLaren's base in Woking, Surrey, it is as good as new.
However, Atkinson, who is reportedly worth 71million, has not escaped scot-free. According to experts, the star's car insurance premium will have risen to up to 60,000 a year as a result of the expensive crash.
Ben Stagg, a senior client manager at specialist insurers RK Harrison, said: 'It costs between 10-15,000 a year just to keep a McLaren F1 insured off-road in a garage.
The McLaren F1 supercar was left as a mangled wreck after Rowan Atkinson crashed into a tree in August 2011. It was his second crash in the vehicle, which saw its 6.1 litre engine flung 20 yards away from the rest of it
Atkinson escaped the crash with a shoulder injury but the 910,000 repair bill was painful for the actor's insurers
The supercar, pictured after its August 2011 crash, is one of only 64 roadgoing McLaren F1s built by the British company
'If you want to drive it - and it seems Mr Atkinson drives his a lot - your premium could rise to between 20-40,000 a year because of the added road risk.
'Now he has crashed it, Mr Atkinson's insurers may increase the premium by another 50 per cent.
'They could also insert a limited mileage clause and increase his excess to around half the car's total value.'
Expensive: Atkinson, seen with his wife Sunetra, paid 634,500 for the maroon sports car in 1997, but has seen its value soar in recent years
The rare supercar, pictured before the August 2011 crash, can command up to 3.5 million thanks to its limited production of 64 cars
The six-figure payout for the actor's McLaren F1 is the highest insurance bill recorded in Britain
Playing Mr Bean, Atkinson drove a clapped-out Mini. In real life, he uses his McLaren for commuting between his Northamptonshire home and acting commitments in London, as well as family holidays.
Atkinson paid 634,500 for the maroon sports car in 1997, but has seen its value soar in recent years.
Last year, one model sold for 3.4million. By the time of the crash, he had recorded 38,000 miles on the odometer. Atkinson said getting back in the driving seat after 16 months was 'like getting into a familiar sweater'. He added: 'It has become part of my life. I hope to do 100,000 miles in it.'
The crash was Atkinson's second accident in the supercar. In 1999, he ploughed it into the back of a Rover Metro.
The 910,000 bill is three times as much as the previous record payout for a repair. In 2010, Aviva paid 300,000 to fix a Paganini Zonda test car.
SUPERCAR AT A SUPER PRICE: MCLAREN'S F1 BY NUMBERS
Cost new: 540,000 (Atkinson paid 640,000 for his in 1997)
Value now: Up to 3.5 million
Engine: 6.1-litre V12 developing 627bhp
Acceleration: 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds; 0-100mph in 6.3 seconds
Top speed: 240mph
Seats: Three with driver centrally positioned
Wow and most of the damage caused by over enthusiastic rescue workers,who seem to immediately proceed to cut any crashed car in half.
- Tom , Peterborough, 08/2/2013 05:29
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