Mr. Bean has had his fair share of mishaps on TV and it looks like real life is not much different for Rowan Atkinson, who on Saturday had to drop out of the Goodwood Revival vintage car meeting when he figured in a head-on collision during a race.
Participating in the Shelby Cup, Atkinson was driving a powder-blue Ford Falcon when a car two spots ahead lost control, spinning off the track. This made the next car in line to swerve to avoid crashing into the distressed vehicle but Atkinson wasn't as lucky. As he was not far behind, he didn't have enough room and time to maneuver his vintage Ford so he hit the first vehicle head-on.
Though he had to abandon his vehicle and ultimately had to forfeit the race, Atkinson walked away from the collision unharmed. Atkinson, an actor and comedian, has starred in sitcoms "Mr. Bean" and "Blackadder" as well as a number of movies, including "The Witches" and "Four Weddings and A Funeral."
The Shelby Cup is a one-off race marking the 60th year of the small-block V8 engine. This year, race participants included over 15 Ford Mustangs and a Plymouth Barracuda. Atkinson is a Goodwood regular so he frequents races, showing off his impressive collection of classic cars in the process.
Some of the vehicles that are part of Atkinson's collection are a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe, a 1939 BMW 328, an Aston Martin DB2, a Jaguar Mk7, and a Honda NSX.
Though the Shelby Cup collision is a shame, Atkinson has dealt with worse crashes, like the time he drove a McLaren F1 into a tree when he lost control of the car in 2011. He walked away from that accident as well with just a broken shoulder but his vehicle, one of only 64 in the world, burst into flames. The 6.1-liter engine landed some 60 feet away.
As the McLaren F1 is a rare model, perhaps the fastest sports car, the insurance payout Atkinson received to fix the vehicle was the largest ever recorded figure in Britain, amounting to nearly $1.5 million. Atkinson received the payout over a year after specialist repairs were done on the McLaren F1.
The same McLaren F1 also figured in another collision 12 years earlier when Atkinson crashed into a Mini Metro in Lancashire. Earlier this year, Atkinson was part of a convoy driving through Italy when another McLaren F1 was involved in an accident. He was one of the first to come to the driver's aid.
Goodwood Revival will continue until Sunday evening, playing host to racing legends and other celebrities. Aside from Atkinson, TV chef James Martin was also spotted in the event.
