What does Mr Bean have against the three-wheeled car?

One of Mr Bean's quirks is that he hates this particular three-wheeled car:

My question is then, do we know why he hates this car? Has Atkinson or any of the writing staff ever commented regarding this hatred?

character mr-bean

Best Answer

It's a meme.

In the UK, everybody hates those cars.

Google refs: Jeremy Clarkson/Top Gear, Reliant Robin or Reliant Supervan; Only Fools & Horses.

Try this Youtube video to see Clarkson "testing" one -

Even the members of the owner's club in the Top Gear video are quite aware of how bad their cherished vehicles really are.

Seriously, they were actually quite dangerous, unless you kept additional weight on the passenger side.
Their fibre-glass construction also made them deadly in any crash.
They were popular, really, only because you didn't need a full motor vehicle driving license to drive one unaccompanied, you only needed a motor-cycle license.

This is the "Supervan" variant, made [in]famous by Del-Boy & Rodney Trotter, in Only Fools & Horses.
The meme already existed by the time this show was first made in 1981, the abysmal quality of the vehicle adding to the characterisations of the protagonists.

Pictures about "What does Mr Bean have against the three-wheeled car?"

What does Mr Bean have against the three-wheeled car? - Blond Woman Leaning against Red Vintage Car

What does Mr Bean have against the three-wheeled car? - Black Coupe on Black Surface

What does Mr Bean have against the three-wheeled car? - Man in Blue Jacket Driving Car

Why does Mr. Bean hate the 3 wheeled car?

Bean hates three-wheeled vehicles because they are an inferior design, so he takes his wrath out on them whenever he sees them.

Why was Mr Beans car crushed?

Not bothered by this, Bean makes a beeline for his Mini, but on the way, he is distracted by a woman's cake stall set up nearby. He walks over to the stall and buys a delicious cupcake, unaware of what occurs behind him, when a giant Chieftain tank appears in the car park and crushes his Mini.

Did Mr. Bean have a three wheel car?

Reliant Regal is a three-wheeled car often seen in the Mr. Bean episodes. Mr. Bean may have a problem with the car as most of his encounters with it end up with the car being toppled over.

Rolling a Reliant Robin | Top Gear | BBC

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Vidal Balielo Jr., Muzammil Mooza, Pixabay, Karolina Grabowska