Rowan Atkinson‘s 2022 Netflix TV series Man vs. Bee—which is exactly what it sounds like—featured a 1963 Jaguar E-Type. The car was actually the actor’s, as it turns out, and now it’s heading to auction.
The E-Type is one of the greatest sports cars ever made, and Atkinson’s is an early example of the legendary car, which was first shown in 1961 and produced until 1974. The auto is painted Opalescent Gunmetal Grey, and it was originally sold to a buyer in the U.S., according to Iconic Auctioneers, which is doing the sale.
The E-Type coupe is powered by a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine, which made about 265 horsepower when it was brand new and pushed the car to a top speed of 150 mph. The engine is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. The car was originally in left-hand drive since it was for the American market, but it was bought back to the U.K. in 1989 and converted to right-hand drive. The interior of the car was also replaced, in addition to the exhaust.

Rowan Atkinson’s Jaguar E-Type from the side, accenting its shape.
Iconic
For the TV series, the car was abused quite a bit, with the rear windshield destroyed by a statue, the dashboard by a crowbar, and the body by a diamond cutter, all in pursuit of the bee by Atkinson’s character. The damage actually happened to the car, too, though it was repaired, except for some damage that the actor left in the “nearside rear quarter,” according to the auction listing, “a charming reminder and irrefutable proof of its starring role.”
“With a sequel, Man vs Baby, due for release this Christmas,” the description says, the car’s “fame is set only to grow.”
The E-Type is set to go up for bid on November 8 in Birmingham, England. Iconic Auctioneers did not offer an estimate for how much the car may sell for, though on Bring A Trailer, Series I Jaguar XKEs have been selling for around $200,000 lately, with a wide variance depending on provenance and condition. Whether the price for Atkinson’s E-Type will be inflated or deflated by Atkinson’s ownership or its appearance in Man vs. Bee is anyone’s guess, but Iconic Auctioneers has high hopes.
Click here for more photos of Rowan Atkinson’s Jaguar E-Type.
Authors
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Erik Shilling
Erik Shilling is digital auto editor at Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he was an editor at Jalopnik, Atlas Obscura, and the New York Post, and a staff writer at several newspapers before…



