It costs 3.5 million yuan (US$437,000), goes from nought to 100 kilometres-an-hour in less than five seconds and is one of the most desirable cars on the planet.

But in a city infamous for its gridlocked streets, just what is the point of having a Lamborghini?

In the Chinese mainland's richest and arguably most fashion-conscious city, the appetite for supercars is growing. The problem is, with a downtown street layout approaching its 100th birthday, Shanghai grants owners little opportunity to put such vehicles through their paces.

"I mostly just use it to cruise around at the weekend or at night when the roads are a bit more empty," said Fang, talking about his two-month-old Lamborghini Gallardo. "If I take it out, I generally take it straight back home because I don't want to leave it anywhere  if I do, when I come back it's always surrounded by people and has finger marks all over the windows."

A high flyer in Shanghai's real-estate market, Fang who doesn't want to disclose his first name owns another six cars including a convertible Porsche and a Mercedes SL.
"I used to have a Ferrari, too, but someone crashed into me at traffic lights and after that I sold it," he added. 

Despite its sporting pedigree, Fang admitted his Italian supercar, which, fortunately for him, has adjustable suspension so he can get it into his garage without scraping the nose, has seen little high-speed action.  

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