The Jaguar E-Type is one of the most well-known and celebrated trims in the carmaker’s history, but the model that’s up for sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show auction on November 8 has a backstory that’ll make it especially appealing to fans of celebrity rides.
Iconic comedian Rowan Atkinson’s 1963 Series 1 3.8 Coupé is being offered at no reserve. But it hasn’t exactly been handled with the kid gloves expensive and classic cars are treated to. It starred alongside Atkinson – and was significantly damaged – in the Netflix hit Man vs. Bee.
The car appears in multiple destruction scenes in the show including having its rear window shattered, the dashboard set on fire and a diamond cutter taken to its bodywork all done without CGI.
Atkinson bought the car immediately after filming finished. He said film cars are typically “tired” after production and that he spent tens of thousands of pounds returning it to its current condition. He said he personally cut through its rear bodywork using an angle grinder during filming, and stated he has no issue damaging a car that can later be repaired.
Atkinson, 70, is famed for his love of cars and motor racing. As with many enthusiasts, he believes cars should be driven, not just looked at.
As reported in the Telegraph, he said: “I’m selling the E-Type because I don’t use it enough. I’m definitely a user rather than a collector, so if a car’s not being used, it has to go. But I’ll miss its outrageous beauty.”
The car was barely driven, aside from its mashing in the Man Vs. Bee series. “I’ve done no more than 200 miles in it since its restoration,” said the actor, “But it runs really well – the engine is particularly lovely.”
The car left the factory as left-hand drive and was sold new in the United States. It returned to the U.K. in 1989, was converted to right-hand drive, and comprehensively restored.
According to auction house Iconic Auctioneers, the on-screen destruction is expected to increase the car’s value due to its uniqueness and visibility. Managing director Rob Hubbard called it the first time they have seen a car publicly damaged and then restored, saying its story will be a talking point for collectors.
Atkinson has a long record with unusual and high-value cars. His most infamous is a McLaren F1, which he crashed twice and which resulted in the largest U.K. insurance payout ever recorded — $985,000. He sold that car in 2015 for $10.2 million.
One of the most historically important cars he has owned is a 1939 BMW 328 — the actual works car that won the 1940 Mille Miglia, driven by Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer for Nazi Germany. Atkinson has since driven it in the modern Mille Miglia recreation, but without any fascist insignia.
His first major car purchase after early career success was a 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, bought in 1984 and later used on film in Johnny English Strikes Again. In 1998 he bought the first right-hand-drive Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato and converted it immediately to lightweight racing spec using an Aston Nimrod Le Mans V8 engine. He eventually sold that Zagato in 2008.
Other notable cars Atkinson has owned include a Lancia Thema 8.32 (a sedan powered by a Ferrari V8), a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé used in Johnny English Reborn fitted with a rare BMW 9.0-litre V16 prototype engine, and a 1951 race-prepped Jaguar MkVII that he still races at the Goodwood Revival. He calls that car “a big old bus” and says he is an amateur driver, but he continues to compete in it.
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This story was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
