[6th element]

Anybody see this? Verified?
http://t.co/ZYpTjiJ

[MitchF1GTR]

No doubt it'll be repaired so Atkinson can put thousands more k's on it and crash it again.

[HyperMac954]

*sniffle

[6th element]

Originally Posted by HyperMac954

*sniffle

Yes, it is unfortunate, but the good news is that Rowan appears OK and the car should probably be repairable. No doubt, he has enjoyed the F1 on a level that few supercar owners have, with their respective cars. No shame in that!

Here is a recent article by him, comparing his F1 to the Veyron:
http://www.classicandperformancecar....claren_f1.html

[TAG]

Lovely to hear that Rowan is not hurt. It seems accordingly to McLaren's spokes person that it could be repaired and the engine might have to be returned to Munich and BMW. Second time he crashes this car. Chassi number VIN #061.

L

[zippycar]

6 E

Thanks for the link. Had not seen that article before.

Have read Octane on a couple of occasions and beginning to think it’s the real deal, now that Evo has disappeared too far up its own orifice.

Rowan is a real petrolhead and great orator and perhaps he wished for a few of those electronic gizmos of the Veyron, milli-seconds before impact.

Glad to hear he is OK (shoulder aside) and no harm done (other than a little dented pride) and am sure his F1 will be back with us in the not too distant future.

Peleton25. font of all F1 knowledge, anything you can add about Rowan’s car?

It sure would be appreciated, as indeed are all your postings on the F1.

And why the handle, isn’t that cycle related?

[RWD]

Very unfortunate. Anyone know how it happened? BBC report said the car caught fire, that can mean the death of a car if he wasn't able to put it out.

[MitchF1GTR]

Didn't another McLaren burn and get repaired? As you can see by the photo I've provided it's not half as damaged as that one was.

[Peloton25]

Originally Posted by zippycar

Peleton25. font of all F1 knowledge, anything you can add about Rowan’s car?

It sure would be appreciated, as indeed are all your postings on the F1.

Not a whole lot to say about Rowan's car that hasn't been covered. He's an original owner, having purchased #061 in late 1997 on the worldwide success of his movie "Mr Bean". He drives it far more than most owners, mentioning during his recent Top Gear appearance that he's logged 37,000 miles. That's not a record for the F1 as there are at least a couple that are higher including some of the development prototypes. There are some unique touches in Rowans car like the black-faced gauges and black painted brake and clutch pedals. His car also features a classic style corded cellular telephone.

He has loaned it to Top Gear on more than one occasion, including allowing its use in the F1 -vs- Veyron drag race they staged halfway around the world in Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago. It's also been in several magazine articles including one from EVO just last year.

His first accident with the car in 1999 was a relatively minor one, but the damage that it inflicted wasn't pretty as the nose of his car ended up underneath the Metro he rear-ended. People have suggested that anyone who crashes their F1 twice should have it taken away from them but it is a very powerful car with nothing in the way of driver's aids and even the best drivers in the world get caught out from time to time in unpredictable circumstances. I tend to think that the greater offenders are the owners who never chance driving the car.

And why the handle, isn’t that cycle related?

When I am not chasing McLaren F1s on the internet I am a cyclist. A 'peloton' is the word used to identify the large pack of riders in a bicycle race. I have been riding road bikes since 1992 and have actually had the "Peloton25" identity online since before I really became interested in the F1. I use it for practically everything and am of course easily recognized by it now with my passion for the F1.

Originally Posted by RWD

Very unfortunate. Anyone know how it happened? BBC report said the car caught fire, that can mean the death of a car if he wasn't able to put it out.

There have been conflicting reports on the fire - I think perhaps the fire may have been contained to pieces of the car that are no longer attached. Certainly if the tub had caught fire there would be evidence of that and I'm not really seeing any. Also there's quite a bit of brush near where the car came to rest and I am not seeing any evidence of fire there either.

The fact that you can see the gold foil affixed to the firewall in the image of the car being loaded onto the transporter is in a way a bad thing because it means that the engine has parted company with the car. However, that it remains untarnished leads me to believe the fire did not encroach that important and volatile area of the car so it ends up being a good thing too.

Originally Posted by MitchF1GTR

Didn't another McLaren burn and get repaired? As you can see by the photo I've provided it's not half as damaged as that one was.

You're thinking of chassis #067 that caught fire in June 2009 in Santa Rosa, CA.



McLaren was indeed able to put this car back together in 2009/2010 for its US owner after that serious fire in the rear of the car without needing to build a new tub for it. Obviously every incident is different, but I would say that news bodes well for the chances of full repair with Atkinson's F1.

Many of the same items were damaged and one could even argue that the heat of the fire probably caused more damage with the delaminating layers of carbon fiber than Rowan's accident would have caused.

The rebuild of this silver car was reported on in a story that was published in SCM in October 2010:

A McLaren F1’s Rise from the Ashes

An interesting read for sure.

>8^)
ER

[zippycar]

Peleton25

As always, very informative and thanks for sparing your time.

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by zippycar

Peleton25

As always, very informative and thanks for sparing your time.

+1, thanks. I have seen Enzo's and F50's with significantly more damage (including one that went off a cliff) be rebuilt. I am sure it will be back on the road by this time next year.