Rod Stewart’s $1m Lamborghini was meant to be a coffin

It’s a car most people could only dream of owning, but for flamboyant Australian media personality Darryn Lyons, his Lamborghini Diablo was so precious he once wanted to take it to the grave… quite literally.

The former celebrity photographer and Geelong mayor says he even included instructions in his will to be buried in the luxury supercar, which previously belonged to British rock legend Sir Rod Stewart.

Now, in a big change of heart, Lyons is preparing to part with his beloved 1998 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster, which auctioneers expect could fetch more than $1 million when it goes under the hammer this Saturday, October 31.

And while the car’s celebrity pedigree is impressive enough, it’s the burial wish that has people talking.

“I’ve said before that I loved it enough to want to be buried in it, so that gives you some idea of how much it has meant to me,” Lyons said.

The silver Lamborghini, with its dramatic scissor doors and powerful V12 engine, was once owned by Stewart before finding its way into Lyons’ collection. For Lyons, it represented the fulfilment of a childhood ambition.

“It’s been one of the biggest thrills of my life. As a small boy, I dreamed of one day owning and driving a car like this, so when it goes, there will absolutely be a tear,” he said.

“It has given me a huge amount of fun over the years and, in my view, it remains one of the greatest cars ever built.”

The Diablo is no ordinary second-hand sports car. Built during Lamborghini’s spectacular supercar era of the 1990s, the VT Roadster features a 5.7-litre V12 engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. With fewer than 23,000km showing on the odometer, it’s the sort of machine that makes collectors sit up and take notice.

But Lyons insists money was never the reason he held onto it for so long.

“Several people have offered to buy it over the years, but it was never for sale,” he said.

“This is the first time I’ve decided it should go with the rest of the collection.”

The Lamborghini is one of the headline attractions in The Darryn Lyons Living Estate Collection, a seven-part auction featuring decades of possessions, from luxury watches and designer clothing to fine art, antiques, wine and memorabilia.

Lee Hames, chief operations officer at Lloyds Auctions, said the combination of rock royalty, celebrity ownership and Lyons’ unusual farewell plans made the car particularly appealing.

“It’s not often you come across a vehicle that a vendor says was once intended to go with him to the grave. That gives people a very clear sense of the attachment he had to it,” Hames said.

Lloyds expects the Lamborghini to attract more than $1 million, although the final price will depend on bidding.

In one of the more amusing twists, online bidding for the million-dollar machine starts at just $1.

For Lyons, however, the hardest part might not be watching the bidding climb. It will be watching someone else drive away in the car he once couldn’t imagine living — or dying — without.

The Lamborghini will be auctioned online through Lloyds Auctions on Saturday, October 31.

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