Mr Bean’s Land Rover Defender up for sale

FOR sale: One of the last Land Rover Defenders ever built. Oh, and more significantly, its owner hasn’t crashed it.

Yep, a two-door Land Rover Defender owned by actor Rowan Atkinson – best known for his character, the mischievous, Mini-driving Mr Bean – is up for sale. But unlike the ultra-rare, very quick and hideously expensive McLaren F1 he formerly owned, crashed – twice – and then sold, this one is believed to be one Defender that has never bent a fender in anger.

The Defender 90, a short-wheelbase model with only two doors, is up for sale at Silverstone Auctions because Atkinson has upgraded to the 110, a four-door version of the car that earned its stripes in some of the world’s most inhospitable and road-free, environments.

Unlike the $16 million McLaren, the Heritage Green Landie is only expected to fetch upwards of $60,000 when it is sold late next month – that’s still more than twice the retail price the rugged off-roader originally sold for.

Adding value on top of Atkinson’s ownership is the fact that this is one of only 400 of the Defender shorties made as a sign-off for the last generation’s significant production run – more than two million were built over more than three decades.

The auction bumf says this particular Land Rover Heritage series vehicle, was delivered to Atkinson in late November, 2015. It’s not an off-the-shelf version either, featuring digital radio, mudflaps, a towbar, a bespoke barrier for a dog, and rubber mats.

It has travelled just 3600 kilometres.

Atkinson’s personal car collection is believed to be extensive. As well as the banged-up McLaren, a car he’d owned since new and used as a daily driver, he’s rumoured to have owned everything from a gullwinged Mercedes-Benz SLS to an Aston Martin V8 Zagato, and an original Honda NSX (as well as a Honda Civic Hybrid).