Buying vintage cars is a fraught activity, at best. As the decades pile on, the owner count rises, and values fluctuate, even the best vintage cars have seen some real trials in their lives. For most of us, that’s losing a few grand on an old Datsun. But for Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, who traded two vintage Ferraris for an ultra-rare 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Spyder, it’s $1 million problem.
The singer alleges that his one of 25 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Spyder is a counterfeit and is suing classic car dealer Rick Cole for alleged fake documentation on the Maserati, according to the LA Times. He suing to undo the $950,000 deal or damages equivalent, which included a trade for two of his vintage Ferraris: a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 and a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC.
Cole claimed to have found an authentic Ghibli 4.9 Spyder that he described as “as good” as a real 4.9 Spyder, which is an interesting word choice from the classic car dealer. Nonetheless, the lawsuit alleges that the build plate, VIN, and stampings on various parts of the chassis showed evidence that they were aftermarket add-ons to the car. Furthermore, the suit accuses Cole of making the alterations.
The car is question is known as “The 1241” after the numbers at the end of its VIN. What complicates things is that there are two 1241s currently in existence: the car that Levine possesses, and the other one is owned by British collector Clive Joy in Switzerland. Thus, one of the cars must be a counterfeit. According to the suit, the evidence shows that the stampings for the VIN and various identifying markings on the car do not match fonts or patterns consistent with Maserati in 1971.
The lesson here is that any old car at any level can be dubious. Even if you do your homework. The suit was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and awaits further action.
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