The Block’s ‘Mr Lambo’ Adrian Portelli in Victorian Magistrates Court blunder over hoon charges
A wealthy real estate investor who used a crane to lift a racing car 57 stories high to display it in his penthouse is suing social media over slander charges.
Adrian Portelli, known as ‘Mr Lambo’ after his appearance on the reality TV show The Block, stood outside Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Monday after being hit by police with three traffic violations.
The case was adjourned, but not before 34-year-old Portelli made the mistake of snapping a photo from inside the courthouse and posting it on Instagram to complain to his 187,000 followers about his bad luck in life.
It is a condition of entry into Victorian Magistrates Courts not to take photos or videos from inside the building.
Adrian Portelli stood outside the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Monday and stopped to post a selfie and a sook
Adrian Portelli, known as “Mr Lambo,” had a crane lift a $2 million sports car into his luxury penthouse apartment
Adrian Portelli is said to be a careless driver, who lost control of his car while being watched by the police
“Victoria – The place where you can get off easier for an armed burglary than for a traffic violation,” he said.
Tagged in the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court, Portelli was pictured beaming with delight at the door of the courtroom.
The court heard that Portelli went ahead with a plan to challenge the hooning allegations.
Accompanied by a hefty sitter, Portelli sat quietly at the front of the court before being forced to walk past a waiting media pack.
Buitenhof, Portelli denied that his post on social media mocked the justice system.
“No, no definitely not, I’m all for it (the courts),” he told reporters.
“We’ll sort this out and move on.”
Portelli was driven off by a waiting Maserati Quattroporte — worth $219,000 — and quickly took to Instagram again to lash out at media reports of his court appearance.
Last week, disgraced actor Vince Colosimo was spared to appear in court in person after his taxpayer-funded lawyer successfully pleaded that he appear via video link under an obscure rehearsal letter introduced during Victoria’s Covid-19 lockdowns .
Daily Mail Australia revealed in May that Portelli had been arrested and charged by police.
Court documents revealed Portelli is accused of taunting at Diggers Rest just before Christmas of 2020, with police each charging him with careless driving, failing to properly control a vehicle and driving in a manner that caused a vehicle to lose traction.
The hearing came just a week after he sHe snapped photos of a $2 million McLaren Senna GTR 57 being lifted into his $39 million penthouse in the Sapphire at the Gardens tower in Melbourne’s CBD.
Flamboyant real estate investor Adrian Portelli is known as ‘Mr Lambo’ after appearing on the reality TV show The Block
Portelli made headlines after appearing on Channel Nine’s The Block (pictured) last year when he made a record-breaking bid for the house renovated by contestants Omar and Oz, but sparked accusations that it was a ‘dummy bid’ to to drive up the price. Portelli denies the allegations
The circumstances surrounding how police brought their case against Portelli and what type of vehicle he was driving at the time of the alleged offenses will remain unknown until his next trial in October.
The court heard that Portelli’s defense is still trying to obtain material from the police that it believes will serve to exonerate him from the charges.
In May, his then-lawyer Angelika Yianoulatos called on police to provide unredacted copies of both body-worn and dashcam footage captured by the officers who intercepted her client.
She also asked him for handwritten or typed notes the officers had made regarding the allegations.
A police prosecutor told the court that Portelli’s defense had been given the full briefing and all the video footage he wanted to give him.
Portelli made headlines last year after an appearance on Channel Nine’s The Block when he placed a record-breaking bid for the house renovated by contestants Omar and Oz, but sparked accusations that it was a ‘dummy bid’ to drive up the price.
He made headlines again on Saturday after it was revealed he bought Influencer Troy ‘Candy’ Williams’ Gold Coast property.
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home was listed for $2.8 million to $3 million, but the exact sale price has not been disclosed.
Williams announced that Portelli was the home’s lucky buyer on Instagram alongside a cheeky photo.
Portelli drew both praise and scorn earlier this year after he posted photos of himself posing next to the race car he just hauled into his high-rise apartment.
A first look at the McLaren Senna GTR 57 floors up. A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this absolutely surreal moment possible,” he wrote.
Melbourne real estate developer Adrian Portelli’s daring stunt of towing a $2 million race car into his luxury 57th-floor apartment with a crane sparked outrage
Portelli’s supercar arrives safely at its destination. Police allege Portelli risked an accident by carelessly driving downhill
Portelli (second from left) gives Omar and Oz a high five during the auction of the house they renovated for The Block last year
Community reaction to the stunt was immediate, with Portelli defending and attacking his performance on The Block Greens leader Adam Bandt who criticized him on Twitter for the crane stunt.
“Labour gives this man a $9,000 tax cut while people starve on $52 a day,” Bandt wrote.
Portelli did not hold back his reaction.
“Who the hell is this guy trying to use me as a political tool to sympathize with,” he wrote with a red circle around a photo of Mr. Bandt.
Portelli lashed out at those claims and criticism his daring crane stunt had drawn.
“First, my name was publicly thrown out, implying I was a dummy bidder who couldn’t afford The Block house,” he wrote.
“I even suggested that I was friends with the contestants because of my ethnicity.
“Now (sic) people are crying because I have too much money.
‘MAKE IT PEOPLE’
Portelli bought the luxury penthouse last month in a sale that broke the record for the city’s most expensive apartment when it handed over a whopping $39 million.
However, Mr. Portelli stated that he only wants to use it as a ‘weekender’.