Spotted: Rowan Atkinson Now Owns A 2015 BMW i3

Just like his F1, the i3 also has a BMW engine.

It looks like Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. Mr. Bean is taking a bit more conservative approach with his daily driver as he was spotted in London earlier this week (July 24, 2015) getting into a BMW i3. According to our friends over at BMW Blog on their post, the famous UK actor and comedian was caught by paparazzi standing next to his new ride before getting in and driving off. This little electric car comes in stark contrast to his previous daily driver which was a 1998 McLaren F1 of which only 64 of those going to members of the public. Rowan Atkinson famously made himself a tidy little profit after he sold the McLaren F1 for $12 million. Technically Rowan could’ve bought 276 BMW i3’s and still had a little left over for himself (not that he would.)

There are some distinct advantages to owning a BMW i3 instead of a McLaren F1. For one, Rowan Atkinson admitted himself that he already got as much driving pleasure as he wants for himself in the McLaren F1 so although it was bittersweet to part with it, it was time to move on. We at Art of Gears thinks it was a brilliant bit of investing as the price for McLaren F1’s has risen exponentially as the years went on. Also consider that gas is about $5.79 in London and the McLaren F1 getting 10 MPG wasn’t exactly efficient nor smart on the wallet. Additionally, there’s an equivalent  $17.84 congestion charge per day just for bringing your car and driving within London, which can get downright pricey (consider that next time you complain about parking.) Then tack on the savings in insurance and maintenance and the BMW i3 makes sense.

Performance wise, there’s no comparison between the two as it’s like comparing apples to oranges.  The BMW i3 has an equivalent 170 HP and can reach 60 MPH in seven seconds while the McLaren F1 has a screaming 627 HP V12 that can reach 240 MPH. But if Rowan Atkinson wants to scratch that speed itch, he still has according to the Daily Mail, “a Honda NSX, a Jaguar Mk7, an Aston Martin DB2, a vintage Ford Falcon, a 1939 BMW 328 and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.”