Most car owners are unhappy to get landed with a large garage bill, but one Australian motorist has been left "astonished" after a trip to the mechanic got his supercar impounded.
GP Patrick Nugawela's woes started when he dropped his 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo in to a Perth garage specialising in prestige and high-performance cars.
Police in the east of the city later clocked the yellow Gallardo, with the garage's un-named 53-year-old principle allegedly at the wheel, travelling at more than 160 kilometres per hour (99mph) in a 90kph (56mph) zone.
Under Western Australia's so-called "anti-hoon" laws, which give the police power to confiscate vehicles found travelling more than 60kph over the speed limit, the car was impounded for 28 days.
And although Dr Nugawela had no involvement in the incident, his application to have his car returned has been rejected by city police, citing a 1 January change in the law which 'left their hands tied'.
Assistant commissioner Wayne Gregson told PerthNow that the seizure could only be cancelled in certain circumstances, such as the car having been stolen.
Commenting on the case, Police Minister Rob Johnson said that he had some sympathy with Dr Nugawela - but only up to a point.
"It's not something that I'm prepared to change the law for, simply because somebody who owns a Lamborghini does not have that car for 28 days," he added.
Gallardos - which have a top speed of more than 190mph - had a torrid time in 2009, including a summer inferno in Peterborough city centre, and a December incident that saw Italian police crashing one of their two models.
