Rowan Atkinson's 'Lancia Ferrari' And Mercedes 500E To Be Auctioned

Last time we were talking about a car of Rowan Atkinson’s being sold, it was his twice-crashed McLaren F1. Which sold for £8 million. But today, we’re taking a look at a pair of cars belonging to the comedian which are set to go for a more affordable sum.

First up, we have a 1989 Lancia Thema 8.32. And yes, that’s the one where Lancia went to tremendous lengths to shoehorn a 2.9-litre Ferrari under the bonnet, only to end up with something that was barely faster than the significantly cheaper Thema Turbo. Right.

A bizarre and borderline daft project then, but that’s why we like it. It’s been fastidiously maintained over Atkinson’s eight years of ownership, and the interior is an immaculate, oh-so 80s festival of beige.

Car number two is another V8-powered saloon, but of a very different flavour. It’s a 1993 Mercedes 500E, packing a 5.0-litre V8 that kicks out 328bhp. These were developed as part of a collaboration between Mercedes and Porsche, and were built by the latter the firm at its Rossle-Bau factory. Once production ceased, it was replaced on the assembly line by another joint venture, the Audi RS2.

So it’s a curious piece of Mercedes/Porsche history, and one with just 85,000 kilometres on the clock. It, along with the Lancia, will go under the hammer at the same Retro Classics auction as the 1993 Vatanan Group A Subaru Legacy on 23 February. Both are being sold with no reserve, with no estimate given.

Which would you rather own?