"The reservation process works like this: Lamborghini Reventón, limited to 33 units worldwide. Lamborghini Veneno, limited to just 17 units globally. The reservation follows a global bidding format, with bids accepted only through the official website. To use an old Chinese saying—'the highest bidder wins'… The deadline is the end of next month."
Stephen repeated the rules exactly as Mavi had set them.
Of course, this so-called "global limited sale" did not include Europe. It was open to China, Russia, Ukraine, North America, and even the Arctic and Antarctic—but not Europe.
As for the online bidding, to prevent people from deliberately inflating prices with fake bids, Mavi partnered with Alibaba's Alipay platform. Anyone placing a bid had to deposit the bid amount into Alipay in advance. At the end of the month, if a bidder did not win, the full amount would be refunded.
This also helped elevate Alipay's prestige. After all, not every online payment platform could claim to work with Lamborghini.
"Holy crap! Global online bidding? That's next-level marketing! This is genius!"
The wealthy buyers hadn't fully processed the idea yet, but other car dealers immediately recognized its brilliance.
Online bidding was an excellent way to drive up the price of these limited-edition supercars. It also played perfectly into the psychology of wealthy individuals—both in China and around the world—who loved to show off their wealth.
In 2001, many Chinese millionaires weren't short on cash. What they lacked were exclusive, ultra-luxury cars they could splurge on—not just expensive but also truly rare. The same logic applied internationally.
On top of that, Mavi's two supercars featured cutting-edge designs—so futuristic that they would still turn heads in 2019, let alone in 2001. In short, when the product is good, the only real concern is whether people can afford it.
###
Lamborghini's strategy not only caught European automakers off guard but also caused an uproar when the Reventón and Veneno debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in early February.
European billionaires were furious when they realized they couldn't buy the cars.
"My God! Why? Why can't we in Europe order the Lamborghini Veneno? This is unfair!"
A car-obsessed billionaire sat in front of his computer, wailing in frustration.
Europeans had no way to participate in the bidding—Alipay simply did not process their "foreign funds."
They could only watch helplessly as Chinese and Russian buyers snatched up the Reventón and Veneno, leaving them feeling completely sidelined.
In the past, European supercar manufacturers always prioritized their own market. When a new supercar launched, Europeans were typically the first to get their hands on it.
But this time, everything had changed! Even buyers from India and Malaysia could bid, while Europe's proud elite didn't even have the right to place an offer. It was beyond frustrating!
Some furious European billionaires even tried to sue Lamborghini, hoping to force them to open the bidding to Europe.
But in court, their case fell apart quickly—Lamborghini had the right to choose who they sold to. Even Europe's political elites couldn't find a legal loophole to intervene.
The only option left was to pay a non-European buyer to bid on their behalf—a kind of "proxy purchasing."
Forcing Europeans into such a desperate position… Only the reincarnated Mavi would have the audacity to pull something like this off.
###
Once the Lamborghini auction went live, Mavi's backend dashboard showed record-breaking bids pouring in.
On the first night, the highest bid reached $1.26 million. By the second night, it had jumped to $1.9 million.
Bidders could only see the highest bid, not the second or third place offers. This led to fierce competition among the world's wealthiest buyers.
On the third night, when Mavi checked the system, the highest bid for the Lamborghini Veneno had skyrocketed to $2.65 million, while the Reventón had reached $2.08 million.
Looking at the figures, Mavi did a quick calculation. From the first-place to the thirty-third-place bids, the total amount already exceeded $53 million. And there were still 24 days left before the bidding ended! Who knew how high the final price would go…
###
Meanwhile, aside from Lamborghini, another one of Mavi's projects was nearing completion—his investment in Spider-Man 1.
Just days earlier, he had arranged for Marvel Studios to acquire dozens of movie theaters across the U.S.
This way, when Spider-Man 1 hit theaters, he would have his own distribution network, reducing the revenue split with other cinema chains.
Similarly, in China, Mavi had invested in building cinemas across major cities to prepare for future Marvel movies. From a long-term perspective, this was a foolproof strategy.
###
After finalizing Lamborghini's auction plans, another major event took place—Mavi received the payment for an aircraft carrier order.
Looking at his bank balance—$968 million—he felt an itch to spend.
At this point, all his business ventures were running smoothly, generating a steady weekly profit of $35 million. This included stock investments, merchandise sales, gaming revenue, advertising income, and more.
A portion of the profits went back into business expansion, while the rest flowed directly into his personal account, ensuring a continuous stream of funds.
"What should I invest in next? Aerospace? Military technology?"
Sitting on a flight back to Russia, Mavi pondered his next move.
Recently, when the joint Ukrainian-Russian fleet confronted the Turkish navy, the Tu-160 strategic bomber played a crucial role.
If he invested in aircraft development, could he push the Sukhoi Design Bureau to create an even more advanced, high-performance supersonic bomber based on the Tu-160?
The thought excited him. Without hesitation, he picked up his satellite phone and dialed Anatoly, the highest authority in the Mikoyan family.
"Hello, Mr. Anatoly, it's Mavi. I'd like to ask—what's the current status of the Sukhoi Design Bureau?"
Sukhoi and Mikoyan were long-time rivals, competing in fighter jet development. Sukhoi was best known for the Su-24 and Su-27 series.
Thanks to his knowledge from his past life, Mavi knew that Mikoyan Design Bureau eventually faced financial difficulties and was ultimately acquired by Sukhoi.
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