Singer Adam Levine says his 1971 Maserati is not the 1971 Maserati he thought he was getting when he traded in two classic Ferraris for it in late 2020. He's now suing to undo the $950,000 deal, or receive sufficient compensation. to correct it.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the Adam Levine Living Trust, alleges that classic car dealer Rick Cole or his agents falsified documentation and chassis and engine authentication marks in what was represented as one of only 25 or so 4.9 liter Maserati Ghibli Spyders ever made.
“Cole claimed to have found an authentic 4.9-litre Maserati Ghibli Spyder which he described as 'as good' as an authentic 4.9-litre Maserati Ghibli Spyder with a clear and indisputable identity that a Trust representative had seen and driven in Monterey a year or so earlier, and that it was valued at more than $1 million,” the lawsuit says.
Cole bills himself on his website as an “internationally recognized investment grade auto sales agent, auctioneer and appraiser” with 50 years of industry experience. The lawsuit accuses him of, among other things, negligent misrepresentation, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and breach of contract.
Cole did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
The Maroon 5 frontman's trust agreed in December 2020 to trade a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 and a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC for the 1971 Maserati plus $100,000, which was what Cole suggested, the lawsuit says.
Cole represented that the Maserati, referred to as “the 1241,” had the vehicle identification number AM115.492.1241, the lawsuit says. Also mentioned is “the Real 1241,” the actual car given its VIN, which the lawsuit claims was actually sold several years ago to British luxury car collector Clive Joy and “has been in Switzerland ever since as part of the collection of Clive Joy, under the care of legendary racing driver Christian Trabe.”
Levine, also known as “The Trust,” is “not in the classic car business at all,” the document says, and trusted Cole when he said the car was authentic, only to later discover that 1241 was recalled. from auction in 2015 after doubts arose about its provenance.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that numbers stamped on the chassis and engine showed evidence that they were aftermarket additions to the car. The fonts and printing styles were not what Maserati used at the time those vehicles were manufactured, the document states.
“[S]Someone attempted to make the Vehicle look authentic by reproducing or stamping a new chassis plate to make the writing more like that used by Maserati at the time, in an obvious attempt to convince a potential buyer that the Vehicle was #1241 “, said. the document says. “Upon information and belief, it was Cole and/or his agents who made these changes.”
Additionally, the lawsuit says, Cole presented documentation signed by Maserati expert Fabio Collina regarding the car's authenticity. However, that documentation was apparently for Real 1241, not the car that was exchanged.
Cole allegedly repeatedly dissuaded the Levine trust from selling the car, the suit says, because he “obviously feared that if the trust marketed the vehicle, he would eventually discover the truth about its lack of authenticity and the corresponding decline in market value.”
“The identity of the Vehicle is, at a minimum, in serious doubt,” the lawsuit says. “It's not Real #1241. It may be an original Ghibli Spyder where…someone grabbed the engine and then stamped the Vehicle to try to match it to the engine. Or it could simply be a converted Ghibli Coupe, with the original chassis plate removed and replaced with plate number AM11549S*1241* in an attempt to make the vehicle more attractive.
“But either way, the Vehicle is not authentic, has no identity, and/or has a highly questionable identity, which severely undermines its value.”
Lawyers for former “The Voice” coach Levine did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
