The Basel police announced last week that an exceptional auction would take place on Saturday in Liestal. And the call seems to have been heard. Several hundred people gathered on the grounds of the Basel-Landschaft lost property office: “It’s fantastic to see so many people,” said Bernardino Barbati, the head of the office. The auction began with the sale of a BMW X4 and a partially scratched BMW X6, fetching 38,000fr. and 32,000 fr. respectively.
“Now we come to the highlight,” said Bernardino Barbati, referring to the black Lamborghini Gallardo 140, which was looking for a new buyer. The man then took his time to entertain the crowd. “Be careful with her on the road, otherwise she will come back here,” he said.
While the said sports car was worth 250,000 francs when it was released in 2008, its current market price is 100,000. On Saturday, the auction began with a starting bid of 35,000 and the sale was concluded in less than five minutes. The new owner of the vehicle paid no less than 57,000 francs in cash. “A car like this has always been my dream,” he said. But once he boarded his new toy, the lucky guy had to face a first disappointment: the engine wouldn’t start. The battery being dead, he had to wait for it to be recharged again before getting back on the road.
If the sale took place in Basel-Landschaft, most of the money will end up in the coffers of the canton of Aargau. In fact, the Lamborghini was confiscated by the Aargau authorities. The canton of Basel-Landschaft will only pocket a small nest egg, in particular to cover the costs of the auction.
