2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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Rowan Atkinson sells his McLaren F1 for $12 million

With little over a hundred produced (including prototypes and racers), there aren't a lot of McLaren F1 owners out there. Rowan Atkinson is among the most prominent, but he won't be any longer as reports from the UK reveal that he's sold his F1. The actor best known for his role as Mr. Bean bought his McLaren back in 1997 when it was still new for what was then a princely sum of GBP540,000 (about $830k). He drove it regularly over the nearly two decades since, putting some 41,000 miles on the odometer and crashing it twice – the most recent collision in 2011 cost his insurers a reported $1.4 million to fix. With values for the McLaren F1 skyrocketing, Atkinson put it on the market earlier this year. The consignment was handled by London classic and supercar broker Taylor & Crawley, headed by the same David Clark who sold Atkinson the car when he served as McLaren's sales director. Although the final transaction price has not been disclosed, the original asking price was GBP8 million – equivalent to over $12 million at current exchange rates. The supercar was reportedly purchased by another British enthusiast who intends to drive it as frequently as Atkinson did. Private treaty sales like this (where prices are not generally disclosed) notwithstanding, the Atkinson sale would eclipse the highest price paid to date for the iconic supercar at auction. According to Sports Car Market, the top price paid was at Pebble Beach in 2013, where Gooding & Co sold one for just under $8.5 million. The same event the following year saw one go unsold, despite a high bid of over $10 million. Related Video:

McLaren 650S Sprint is ready to hit the track running in Monterey

McLaren isn't exactly the most plebeian brand to begin with, so it makes sense for the company to take advantage of the lavish parties and wealthy folks descending on California for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In addition to the insane P1 GTR, McLaren is showing off the track-focused 650S Sprint here in Monterey. This new 650S it takes the place of the 12C Sprint in the brand's lineup, and should be the fastest 650S short of the GT3 racer. The thing is, the Sprint isn't technically a homologated racer, but it makes a great toy to show off at track days. For the Sprint, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 stays put, but McLaren optimizes the 650S' body for more downforce and better engine cooling. It also packs all sorts of track goodies like a competition fuel tank, larger radiator, racing-tuned suspension and 19-inch center-lock wheels. It also has all of the safety necessities for a day of doing laps like a roll cage, fire suppression and racing buckets. Of course, you might have known about all of that already, since the British brand revealed the Sprint just a few days ago, but you can check it live our gallery from Monterey.

McLaren P1 is the new king of flamethrowers [UPDATE]

It may come as no surprise, but the staff of Autoblog is essentially a bunch of kids trapped in grown-up bodies. That means we're fairly easy to please. Give us a fast car or sensational bodywork, and we're pretty happy. Give us a fast car with sensational bodywork that shoots big freaking flames, though, and we'll be utterly mesmerized. Unsurprisingly, then, this video which shows nothing more than the McLaren P1 and its ability to belch bright blue balls of fire while making a truly glorious noises has had a negative effect on our productivity. We've been quite happy to sit and watch the flame-throwing, 903-horsepower P1 zip around the Yas Marina Formula One course in Abu Dhabi over and over. So, join us in this latest batch of time wasting. Scroll down to watch the full video from Shmee150. UPDATE: We've added a second video from Shmee150 showing how to put the McLaren P1 in race mode. Head below to check it out. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Gallery McLaren P1: Geneva 2013 View 19 Photos News Source: Shmee150 via YouTube [1], [2]Image Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Auto News McLaren Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance Videos mclaren p1 abu dhabi yas marina