Lamborghini driver arrested as TV turn up

A Perth boutique car mechanic alleged to have been driving a client's Lamborghini at more than 160km/h has told a court he was only arrested when a TV news crew turned up.

Mechanic Leone Antonino Magistro, 53, on trial for driving in excess of 155km/h, has pleaded not guilty, saying he was doing 130km/h at most.

On January 6 this year, Mr Magistro had just picked up Dr Patrick Nugawela's 2006 bright yellow Lamborghini Gallardo and was heading to his workshop Autodelta in Malaga, in Perth's north.

Senior Constable Michael Brent told Perth Magistrates Court today that the Lamborghini passed him along Reid Highway with the engine roaring loudly and its exhaust blowing blue smoke.

Mr Magistro told the court when he was pulled over he had asked the police to show him the speed reading they had recorded.

However, all the officers could tell him was that they had exceeded 140km/h to catch up to him, he said.

The father-of-two said soon after he was pulled over a news crew from the Nine Network had arrived and interviewed Sergeant Riccardo De Castro.

Mr Magistro said he had not been told he would be arrested until the TV crew turned up.

"I said the most I was doing was 130km/h and you can book me for that,'' he told the court.

''(I said) I knew I was speeding, I'm guilty of that, book me for that and let me go. It's not my car and I don't wish for it to be impounded.''

Sen Const Brent told the court when Mr Magistro passed them, he immediately accelerated hard to determine how fast the Lamborghini was going.

"I was calling out various speeds to Sergeant De Castro, 120, 138, 145 ... as the Lamborghini was pulling away from me.''

Sen Const Brent said they got up to 160km/h before realising they were travelling 20km/h over the police speed limit without authorisation and dropped their speed.

Eventually they caught up to Mr Magistro and and asked him why he was travelling at such high speeds.

"He said there was performance issues when the vehicle wasn't running correctly, something to that effect,'' Sen Const Brent said.

He said Mr Magistro had not said he was road-testing the Lamborghini, claiming he would never road-test clients' cars on public roads.

The trial before magistrate Michael Wheeler continues.

(Published by Adelaide Now - November 16, 2010)