Even as the Lamborghini Aventador just begins to hit the world's fenceposts, there's already a new model to top it — one that, at $4.8 million, may be the most expensive car in the world. Well, most expensive scale model car anyway. Yes, that's right, it's a one-eighth size scale model — that may end up being sold for 15 times the cost of the real Lamborghini it's based on.
Lamborghini's love of special editions may be getting out of hand. Built by German model maker Robert Gulpen, the model Aventador was spun and milled from carbon fiber just like the original, but laced with gold thread. The seats, steering wheel and headlights are finished with diamonds, but the precious metals and jewels alone account for $2.7 million of the car's asking price.
"This is a high-tech work of art," said its creator. "I wanted to do something unique, something that has not existed until now." That's certainly true — I doubt anyone's done anything like this before.
After taking about 500 hours to build the model — using computer data shared by Lamborghini — the mini-bull will be auctioned by Southeby's in December. If you just can't wait that long, the auction house has helpfully taken a cue from eBay and set a buy-it-now price of just $6.2 million, or roughly enough to buy 15 actual Aventadors which can make their own vroom-vroom noises.
A real Lamborghini Aventador costs $379,000.
Here's video of the incredible Lamborghini scale model being shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.
Hat tip to Erik and DasWauto!