Two years ago, when Lamborghini was debuting the Veneno Roadster, the company chose 1201 Laurel Way in Beverly Hills to host a VIP viewing event. The home’s five-car showroom—where floor-to-ceiling glass windows frame unobstructed hilltop views—has a better lookout to Los Angeles and the Pacific for the cars than many Angelenos have ever witnessed for themselves.

A moat surrounds the main grand-piano-shaped grade, rendering unnecessary any railings around the steep hillside edges below. The showroom sit…