Utah man wins Lamborghini, crashes it hours later

[December 22, 2011]  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A truck driver who won a Lamborghini worth about $300,000 in a convenience store contest crashed the sports car six hours after he got it, and he now plans to sell the 640-horsepower convertible because he can't afford the insurance or taxes.

"I already had offers on it. I'm going to sell it," David Dopp said Wednesday. "I have bills more important than a Lamborghini. I've got a family to support."

Dopp, a 34-year-old truck driver for Frito-Lay, spun out of control just a few hours after taking the keys to the Murcielago Roadster that he won in a "Joe Schmo to Lambo" contest sponsored by Maverik convenience stores.

The lime green convertible was being held by his insurance company at a Utah towing yard. It will be sent to an authorized Las Vegas dealer for repairs next week.

Dopp told The Associated Press the damage "isn't super bad" -- a punctured oil pan and tire, and a few dents and scratches on the front and rear ends. The father of six said he couldn't afford to pay taxes on the car or the insurance, which runs $3,500 every six months.

"That's why rich people own them," he said. "The poor people like me don't."

Dopp was taking family members and friends on joy rides the first evening. He said he took a curve at about 45 mph and "hit some black ice and spun out." The car jumped a curb and went through a fence before coming to a rest about 75 feet off the road. Neither Dopp nor his passenger was injured.

"My heart pretty much fell out," Annette Dopp told KSL-TV of Salt Lake City. "They said they were OK. Then (came), you know, that feeling when your heart drops and you're like, `Oh, my gosh. What do we do now?'"

The Lamborghini was the envy of Santaquin, a town of 9,000 about 55 miles south of Salt Lake City. Police say the Lamborghini's high-performance summer tires weren't suited for icy conditions and the car is simply too powerful -- and exceptionally light with carbon fiber body parts. Dopp wasn't ticketed.

Dopp was videotaped jumping up and down and hollering in speechless disbelief when contest officials announced during a Nov. 12 college football game that he won the car. He had to take out insurance before he could claim the car -- "that was a good thing," he says -- and took the keys to the roadster Saturday.

Dopp said he never imagined he could keep the car for long because it costs too much to own.

He also won $5,000 worth of driving lessons at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele County.

Dopp said he'll be more careful the next time he gets behind the wheel.

The giveaway contest was for customers who use a rewards card at Maverik's 220 stores. It was co-sponsored by nonprofit organization "teamgive," which raises awareness about rare neurological diseases.

Dopp said Maverik valued the Lamborghini at $358,000, but because it's a 2008 model that had 1,500 miles on the odometer, he believes the value is closer to $300,000 -- and he's willing to sell it for less after the body shop fixes it.

Online car appraisal sites don't list market values for a 2008 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster.

[Associated Press; By PAUL FOY]

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