Emily Brown
Adam Levine is suing a classic car dealer over allegations that the 50-year-old Maserati he thought he was getting isn't the 50-year-old Maserati he actually got.
The Maroon 5 frontman acquired the 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder in 2020, in a trade which saw him hand over not one, but two classic Ferraris.
He believed the car was one of only approximately 25 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyders ever manufactured, and made the trade after a member of his Adam Levine Living Trust took it for a drive.
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At the suggestion of classic car dealer Rick Cole, Levine swapped the car for his 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 and a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC, plus $100,000 (£82,900).
But two years after buying the car, his trust filed a lawsuit against the classic car dealer Rick Cole on Friday (17 February) alleging that Cole or one of his agents faked documentation and marks on the car given to Levine.
It states: "Cole purported to have found an authentic Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder that he described as being ‘as good’ as an authentic Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder with a clear and indisputable identity that a representative of the Trust had seen and drove in Monterey a year or so earlier, and which was valued at over $1 million (£829,530)."
Cole is accused of claiming the Maserati given to Levine had a vehicle identification number (VIN) of AM115.492.1241, while the 'real' car with that VIN is alleged to have actually been sold several years ago to a British luxury car collector named Clive Joy.
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The lawsuit claims the 'real' car 'has been in Switzerland ever since as part of Clive Joy’s collection, under the care of legendary race car driver Christian Trabe'.
As Levine's Trust is 'not in the classic car business at all', it trusted Cole's claims about the authenticity of the car he got in the deal.
However, closer inspection determined 'someone tried to make the Vehicle appear authentic by reproducing or stamping a new chassis plate to make the writing seem more like that used by Maserati at the time, in an obvious attempt to convince a potential buyer that the Vehicle was the [real car]', the lawsuit claims.
"Upon information and belief, it was Cole and/or his agents who made these changes," it adds.
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"The identity of the Vehicle is, at the very least, in serious doubt,” the lawsuit continues. “It is not the Real #1241... the Vehicle is not authentic, has no identity and/or has a very questionable identity, which seriously undermines its value.”
Cole has been accused of negligent misrepresentation, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and breach of contract.
The lawsuit seeks to undo the $950,000 (£788,000) deal, or to get Levine enough money in damages to make up for the alleged dodgy trade.
LADbible has contacted Cole for comment.