A Utah truck driver who won a Lamborghini in a competition crashed the $300 000 (R2.5 million) supercar six hours after he got it, and now plans to sell the 470kW convertible because he can’t afford the insurance or taxes.
David Dopp said: “I already had offers on it. I'm going to sell it.
“I have bills more important than a Lamborghini. I've got a family to support.”
Dopp, 34, spun out of control just a few hours after taking the keys to the Murcielago Roadster that he won in a contest sponsored by Maverik convenience stores.
The lime green convertible is now being held by his insurance company and will be sent to a Lamborghini dealer in Las Vegas for repairs next week.
Dopp said the damage “isn't super bad” - a hole in the sump, a punctured wheel and a few dents and scratches on the front and rear ends. The father of six said he couldn't afford to pay taxes on the car or the insurance, which runs to $7000 (R58 000) a year.
“That's why rich people own them,” he said. “Poor people like me don't.”
Dopp was taking family members and friends on joy rides the first evening. He said he took a bend at about 70km/h and “hit some black ice and spun out.”
The car jumped a kerb and went through a fence before coming to a rest about 20m off the road. Neither Dopp nor his passenger was injured.
Annette Dopp said: “My heart pretty much fell out
“They said they were OK. Then, you know, that feeling when your heart drops and you're like, 'Oh, my gosh. What do we do now?'“
The Lamborghini was the envy of Santaquin, a town of 9000 about 90km south of Salt Lake City. Police say the Lamborghini's high-performance summer tires weren't suited for icy conditions and the car was simply too powerful - and exceptionally light with carbon fibre body parts. Dopp wasn't ticketed.
Dopp was videotaped jumping up and down and shouting in speechless disbelief when contest officials announced during a November 12 college football game that he’d won the car, but they insisted he take out insurance before he could claim it (“That was a good thing,” he says) and he didn’t get it until Saturday.
Dopp said he never imagined he could keep the car for long because it costs too much to own - and that that he would be more careful the next time he got behind the wheel - no matter what he was driving. - Sapa-AP