[ad_1]
Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine has filed a lawsuit against a classic car dealer, alleging the rare Maserati he bought is “not authentic”, and that the dealer was aware of this at the time.
The suit, filed on Friday (local time) for US$850k (NZ$1.38m) in damages, is in relation to a trade made between Levine and classic car dealer Rick Cole in 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Levine, who welcomed his third child with Model Behati Prinsloo in February, swapped a 1968 and a 1972 Ferrari valued at NZ$1.5m total for what he believed to be a rare and valuable Maserati.
He paid an additional US$100k (NZ$162k) for the 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9L Spyder – believed to be one of only 25 ever made.
READ MORE:
* Jerry Seinfeld sues California classic car dealer over ’58 Porsche
* ‘I break down; I cry’: Adam Levine on Maroon 5 manager’s shock death
* Michael Moore unveils Trump documentary Fahrenheit 11/9 trailer
But the lawsuit, cited by the Los Angeles Times, alleges the, “identity of the vehicle is, at the very least, in serious doubt”.
It also claims Cole was “well aware” of this at the time of the trade.
According to the documents, the VIN of the car, referred to as 1241, was later revealed to be the VIN of “the real 1241”, which was sold to a British car collector years earlier. That car is currently in Switzerland.
It also suggests paperwork about the authenticity of the vehicle – signed by Maserati expert Fabio Collina – was actually paperwork for the “real” 1241, rather than the vehicle that was traded.
It is also suggested that Cole discouraged Levine’s Trust from selling the car, and that he, “obviously feared that if the Trust marketed the Vehicle, it would eventually learn the truth concerning its lack of authenticity and corresponding decrease in market value”.
Getty Images
Adam Levine has filed a lawsuit against a car dealer, who he alleges sold him a Maserati with questionable authenticity.
After Levine purchased the vehicle, it was reportedly discovered the same car had been pulled from a 2015 auction after its origins had come into question.
“The identity of the Vehicle is, at the very least, in serious doubt,” the lawsuit stated.
While it claims the car may be an original Maserati, “someone got a hold of the engine and then stamped the vehicle to try to match the engine”.
The other option, the suit alleges, is the car is a converted Ghibli Coupe.
“But either way, the Vehicle is not authentic, has no identity and/or has a very questionable identity, which seriously undermines its value.”
[ad_2]