Australian millionaire Adrian Portelli buys Koenigsegg CC850 supercar for $6.5 million

A self-made Aussie millionaire and university dropout from Melbourne has splashed out millions on one of just 50 limited edition supercars. See how he did it.

A self-made Melbourne millionaire has just bought one of the rarest cars on the planet for a staggering sum of about $6.5 million.

Adrian Portelli, who made his millions through tech start-ups in Los Angeles, was able to secure one of only 50 Koenigsegg CC850 supercars at the recent Monterey Car Show in California.

The purchase caps a remarkable rags to riches story for the 33-year-old university drop out who has only had one “real job” working at Coles.

After spending time as a “jack of all trades, master of none” at his dad’s truck repair business, Portelli headed for the bright lights of LA in 2013, starting up a chauffeur business for celebrities and running his cars on Uber during their downtime.

He said he “met the right people” while there, including Miley Cyrus’s manager, who gave him work.

Aussie entrepreneur Adrian Portelli with his new Koenigsegg CC850 at Monterey, California. Picture: Supplied

His big break came when he advertised for a boarder in his house because he couldn’t afford to pay the rent on his own.

In a slice of luck, the person who took the room was an IT whiz and together they developed a couple of IT start-ups, which they later sold for a lot of money.

“We created some magic together,” he said.

Portelli admits he was no good at school and is “not the most book-smart person”.

He studied draughting and technology at university but dropped out after about two months.

So what’s the secret to his success?

“I try to cram as much into each day as possible,” he said.

Adrian Portelli in his new Koenigsegg CC850 with company owner Christian von Koenigsegg. Picture: Supplied

“I like to live hard and fast. You’re only on this planet once, so make the most of it,” he said.

The entrepreneur and investor first laid eyes on his new purchase the night before its public reveal, when he was given a private viewing of the car by the founder of the Swedish company, Christian von Koenigsegg.

“I’ve never met a more humble, down-to-earth bloke. He had the time of day for everyone, whether they were 15 or 80. Just a really good bloke,” he said.

He admits he doesn’t know exactly how much the car will cost him, once luxury car tax and other duties are applied.

The Koenigsegg will be one of the more exotic names in a collection of “about 30” rare and expensive cars that includes some Aussie classics.

The Koenigsegg CC850 is a tribute to the brand’s first model. Picture: Supplied

He has two of only four HSV GTSR W1 Maloos made and recently asked former V8 Supercar owner Garry Rogers to build him an exact replica of the two Monaro 427 race cars that won the 2002 and 2003 Bathurst 12-hour race.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve loved my cars and now I can buy some of the ones I’ve always dreamt of owning. It’s a blessing,” he said.

He said the cars were all sound investments, although he doesn’t plan to sell the Koenigsegg.

“Every purchase is calculated. They’ve probably made me more than a million dollars this year,” he said.

Only 50 of the Koenigsegg CC850 supercars will be made. Picture: Supplied

As part of the sale agreement, Koenigsegg has agreed that Portelli will be the only Australian owner of the CC850, which is a tribute to the first Koenigsegg made.

The CC850 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V8 engine making 1030kW of power, more than double the power of a V8 Supercar racer.

Koenigsegg also holds the world record for the highest top-speed achieved by a production car at 447km/h.

Portelli said he intended to drive the car rather than put it in mothballs, which means eagle-eyed Melburnians may catch a glimpse of it at some stage.

The company won’t start production of the CC850 until 2024 so Portelli has a long wait till he gets behind the wheel.