Mercedes-Benz owned (twice) by Rowan Atkinson is up for sale
Friday, 5 April 2019
If you are a fan of very unassuming looking rare and unusual cars, or Mr. Bean, then the next Classic Car Auctions (CCA) sale in the UK will be of interest because of its very rare, unique and subtle star - a 1991 Mercedes 500 E owned not once, but twice by Rowan Atkinson.
A known car enthusiast and historic racer, Atkinson likes to enjoy his cars rather than tuck them away, with his most famous car - a McLaren F1 - also being sold recently.
Atkinson bought the car new in 1991 and owned it for four years before selling it on to its second owner, who then owned the car for the next 23 years. He then repurchased the car in July 2017 as he had 'enjoyed it so much' the first time around.
While the 500 E is a pretty special car in its own right, this particular car is a real rarity as it is one of only 29 UK-supplied cars in left hand drive.
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When the 500 E was released in 1991 it was considered ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing, with its 240kW 5.0L V8 capable of propelling it from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds.
The 500E was created by Mercedes in collaboration with Porsche, with the latter commissioned to redesign the W124 chassis to fit the V8 from the 500 SL.
The original idea was for the 500 E to run down the same assembly line as the standard W124, but before production was set to start it was discovered that the car's widened wheel arches didn't actually fit down Mercedes' Sindelfingen assembly line in three different places, leading Mercedes to further commission Porsche to actually build the car 30km down the road in its Zuffenhausen plant.
This led to a complicated assembly procedure that saw Mercedes ship the parts 30km to the Porsche facility for to Porsche build the chassis by hand before shipping it back to Mercedes for painting. The painted chassis was then returned to Porsche for assembly, then went back to Mercedes for final inspection and customer delivery. The whole process meant it took 18 days to build one 500 E.
Atkinson's car has regularly been featured in Car Magazine over the years and CCA says it comes with a 'comprehensive history file.'
'We are delighted to be offering a car direct from Rowan Atkinson. It has such an unusual story in that he has owned it twice,' said Gary Dunne, Classic Car Auctions auction manager.
'We often have unusual stories and this one is one of those, especially for a celebrity to repurchase his car after such a long period. We generally do well with celebrity cars and this car is going to generate a lot of interest, not just because who owned it but also the rarity of the car.'
The 500 E will be offered for no reserve at CCA's Classic Car Sale on the 25th of May.