A BUSINESS tycoon has come under fire for his flashy display after hoisting his £1.6million racing car into his 57th-storey penthouse.
Multi-millionaire Adrian Portelli, 34, was among the spectators watching in awe as the pricey McLaren Senna GTR soared over Melbourne, Australia.
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Dubbed Mr Lambo thanks to his love of expensive motors, the property investor brought the city to a standstill with the garish display of wealth.
Adrian told how the orange and white McLaren was simply “collecting dust” in storage as he is unable to register it on the roads Down Under.
He explained he instead decided to make the track-ready vehicle the “centrepiece” of his swanky £21million penthouse in the Sapphire by the Gardens tower.
But the mogul inevitably would have struggled to squeeze it in the lift – forcing him to rely on a crane to make his interior design dreams come true.
On Wednesday, the race car was incredibly winched into Melbourne’s most expensive penthouse as awe-struck crowds gathered below.
One side of the building had to be completely deconstructed to make way for the luxury motor, while a crane expertly hauled it in the air.
The McLaren, decked out with racing decals, was somehow docked on the side of the unfinished penthouse before a team shunted it inside.
Adrian, who is rumoured to have a net worth of £188million, was seen watching on excitedly as his prized possession was hoisted up within a mere few minutes.
The entrepreneur explained he had convinced property developers to take on the extraordinary mission when he purchased the penthouse.
He said he was “forever grateful” for his success in life in an Instagram post crammed with pictures of the process.
The car enthusiast, who first made his fortune with a tech start-up, described it as an “absolutely surreal moment.”
Adrian wrote: “When I went to bed last night I just giggled. Young Portelli would be proud. The one nobody knew 10 years ago.
“If I can motivate and inspire people to want to succeed, my job is done because I understand how hard and lonely it is on the pursuit of success.”
But many people could barely stifle a smile for the entrepreneur and instead slammed him for the flashy theatrics.
Social media users pointed out many Aussies are battling skyrocketing inflation and rate rises, as well as the rental crisis.
With families forced to cut back just to put food on the table, Adrian was branded a “show off” by disgruntled locals.
One fumed: “Nobody should have this sort of money.”
Another wrote: “This is the epitome of what is wrong with the world today.”
A third added: “This isn’t a flex, it’s disgusting. $4million apartment, million-dollar supercar he won’t ever drive and then he casually mentions it’s his weekend address.”
A fourth raged: “This is why we have inflation. The rich get richer, the rest of us carry the load.”
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And a fifth chimed in: “This is obscene!”
The backlash against Adrian even rippled into the political sphere, with Greens leader Adam Bandt leading the criticism.
He referred to the Stage Three tax cuts which are due to come into effect in the 2024-25 financial year, which will scrap the 37 per cent marginal tax bracket.
High-income earners are set to receive thousands in tax relief next year, prompting uproar Down Under.
Bandt wrote in a furious tweet: “Labor’s giving this guy a $9,000 tax cut while people starve on $52 a day.”
In comparison, welfare payments were only increased by a measly $20 a week in this year’s budget.
ANU Professor and columnist, Mark Kenny, branded the move “typically tasteless”.
Richard Denniss, the executive director of left-leaning think tank The Australia Institute, tweeted: “The cost of living crisis is really biting the wealthy…roll on the $250 billion worth of stage 3 tax cuts so that more Australians will be able to afford to crane their racing car collection into their penthouse.”
Adrian hit back at critics in a post that included an image of Bandt, saying: “Who the f**k is this guy trying to use me as a political tool to sympathise.
“People are crying because I’ve got too much money.”
The business buff has previously tried to quell anger surrounding his lavish purchases by explaining he “grew up in the suburbs as a humble kid.”
But Adrian then added fuel to the fire by confessing his new penthouse – which boasts stomach-churning views – will only be used by him as a weekend getaway.
He explained he had toured other properties during his hunt for another pad but they didn’t have “that ‘wow’ factor.”
Although it currently remains a “blank canvas” while construction is completed, he said he was “very proud and blessed” to get the keys to the city’s most pricey apartment.
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