An Australian businessman really wanted his collectable car to live inside his penthouse, but there was a slight problem: His pad was located over 50 floors up. But where there’s a will, there’s a way—and, apparently, a crane available to do the job.
Adrian Portelli was able to get his $3 million McLaren Senna GTR hoisted up 57 floors to the top of the Sapphire by the Gardens, a luxury residential tower in Melbourne, 9News Melbourne reported.
This was no easy task. An entire side of the building had to be deconstructed to allow the vehicle to make its way up the tower via crane, Portelli told the outlet. “It was a mission,” he said. “They had to take out all of the windows, so it might have found its forever home.”
He also told 9News he wanted to make the car—which was a “spontaneous” purchase—a centerpiece of his lounge room, though the penthouse itself will not be completed for another 12 to 18 months. After construction workers completed the McLaren lift, Portelli took to Instagram to post photos of the vehicle in its new home, with the caption: “A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this absolutely surreal moment happen.”
The businessman’s nearly 13,000-square-foot (or 1,200-square-meter) apartment spans levels 57 and 58 of the 60-story building, the Urban Developer reported. His $39 million purchase of the pad amounted to $32,500 a square meter. “I’m looking to install a swimming pool, multiple kitchens, and potentially a bowling alley,” Portelli told the outlet.
As for the car in tow, the McLaren Senna GTR is a track-only beast that touts the marque’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine and delivers up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) of downforce. Limited to just 75 models, the whip is the fastest McLaren car outside of Formula 1, according to the company.
Portelli, 34, owns LMCT+ Group, a promotions and giveaways business that makes money by giving subscribers discounts and access to events from over 1,000 partners, according to the Australian Financial Review. Memberships range from $19.99 a month to around $90. The business is currently up for sale, though the paper reported that marketing materials have been sent to prospective buyers.
With a reported net worth of $350 million, Portelli initially made his fortune in tech start-ups in Los Angeles, according to the Urban Developer. He then gained fame Down Under after appearing on Australian house-flipping reality television series The Block, Australian Financial Review reported.
