In what might be one of the most outrageous displays of wealth Australia has ever seen, millionaire entrepreneur Adrian Portelli has craned his $3 million McLaren Senna GTR up 57 levels into his new $39 million Melbourne penthouse.
The rare and expensive car was hoisted up to the top of the Sapphire by the Gardens building on Exhibition Street in East Melbourne early this morning, drawing a huge crowd as well as local media.
Not only did the high-stakes installation require the street to be mostly blocked off as well as police presence, but the entire side of the building had to be deconstructed to make way for the eye-catching supercar.
Thankfully the whole operation, which is already being called “the biggest flex in Australian history,” went off without a hitch – with the McLaren now set to take pride of place in Portelli’s swanky new digs.
WATCH the McLaren get craned up to the apartment – as well as Portelli doing a few doughnuts in the supercar – below.
Portelli is no stranger to the limelight. The 34-year-old businessman, who initially made his fortune by founding the popular promotions and giveaway platform LCMT+, first entered the public eye last November after bidding $4.5 million to purchase his first-ever home, one of the properties from season 18 of The Block – only to then give it away on LCMT+.
Speaking about his McLaren, which is one of only 75 in the world, Portelli explained that “it was sitting in a factory and I can’t drive it on the road [so] I decided to have it craned up there instead… It’s an art piece.”
A track-only version of the McLaren Senna hypercar, the Senna GTR is the fastest non-Formula 1 vehicle McLaren has ever created. Powered by a 4.0L twin-turbo V8, it makes 607 kW + 800Nm of torque and can rocket from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds.
While it’s a proper weapon on the track, Portelli’s McLaren’s racing days are probably over, as it’s to be sealed within the penthouse. “They had to take out all of the windows, so it might have found its forever home,” he says.
For those of you wringing your hands about such a machine being locked away, Portelli has assured his Instagram followers that “for anyone who thinks this car is a garage queen, I can assure you it’s probably the most thrashed Senna GTR in the world”.
The two-level penthouse, which won’t be finished for another 12 to 18 months, is the most expensive penthouse ever sold in Melbourne after Portelli secured it with a $39 million bid. Portelli says he will spend another $6m customising the 1200 sqm flat, too. Add the $3 million car in the living room and you’ve got one pricey pad.
The craziest part? Portelli doesn’t even plan on living in the penthouse full-time. “I don’t like city living… This will probably be a weekender,” he explains. Must be nice…