Posted on 12/03/2017 2:29:07 AM PST by LibWhacker
Ford Motor Co. is laying the legal smack down on WWE star John Cena.
The automaker on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the pro wrestler after Cena resold his 2017 Liquid Blue Ford GT supercar less than a month after owning it, breaking a contract that said the vehicle couldn't be flipped until two years after purchase.
Ford is seeking damages in excess of $75,000. It wants to buy back the vehicle for the price Cena paid ($463,376.50) and is seeking whatever profit Cena made off it.
"Upon information and belief, Mr. Cena has unfairly made a large profit from the unauthorized resale flip of the vehicle, and Ford has suffered additional damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity, and customer goodwill due to the improper sale," the automaker said in the lawsuit.
Ford last April instituted a rigorous application process for the first 500 supercars, which cost about $450,000 each. Ford at the time made clear that it would favor current GT owners as well as celebrities and influencers to ensure the cars would be seen and driven rather than stored in a museum or resold at high markups.
The lawsuit said Ford considered "each applicant's interest in Ford cars, specifically the GT and in collectible cars generally, each applicant's relationship with Ford, if any, and each applicant's involvement in the motorsports community, if any."
Cena completed his application on or about April 14, the lawsuit said. He reportedly said that the GT would go "to an owner who truly deserved it and would care properly for the car," and included photos and videos of himself promoting high-end cars.
Cena was approved, and paid for the vehicle in two installments, the last coming on Sept. 21. His vehicle was delivered to Elder Ford in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 23.
Shortly thereafter, he recorded a four-minute video for his vlog, "John Cena: Auto Geek," in which he drives the GT out from the dealership.
He sold the car a few weeks later, the lawsuit says,"to liquidate for cash to take care of expenses."
Ford contacted him about it, and he allegedly apologized, saying "I completely understand and as stated am willing to work with you and Ford to make it right."
Cena is among a host of high-profile celebrities to get the supercar. Others include Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who posted a photo on Twitter earlier this month of his car. It's Ingot Silver with a white racing stripe.
Ford's top executives, including Chairman Bill Ford and President of Global Operations Joe Hinrichs have GTs. Former CEO Mark Fields is among the lucky buyers, too.
The three all chose the red-white-blue racing livery for their vehicles.
I would love to bitch about that.
I agree with your assessment of many lawyers being snakes, but this was a very clear condition of purchase.
I won’t be shedding any tears for either party involved.
That does it!
I’m canceling my order!
No, they didn’t get their sale price. The advertisement value was part of the price.
I had the great pleasure about 5 years ago to spend about three hours in Leno’s auto collection. Just unbelievable. He is right next to the Burbank Airport and off the grid with solar panels.
Leno’s philosophy was that he wants to be green during the week so he has the pleasure of using these vehicles on the weekend.
I better check my Ford Edge and see if it has the same language in the contract.
I was talking about the “super car.” After your post, I conducted a survey. 5 out of 5 deli workers could not recognize it at the market.
Contracts are contracts and as long as nothing in the contract is contrary to law, an opinion (by anyone, like one Freeper) that it is “sleazy” deal on Ford’s part, does not place Cena in the legal drivers seat. Cena would do well to settle. Law and time are both not on his side.
If you think something in a contract is not right or should not be there, should not be imposed on you, then you don’t sign it. You don’t sign it and then afterward ignore the contract & complain it isn’t right.
Oh, and 5 out of 5 had also never heard of the wrestler.
Great review by Leno, beautiful car too.......and it won Le Mans......LOL!
A little out of their price range. 8>) But anyone into muscle cars knows of them for sure, which is quite a few of the population.
duh...
The latest gen Ford GT has been heavily covered in the auto press for a year or two. I would imagine most deli workers have never heard of the Ferrari 812 or the McLaren 720 either.
Ooooh. Did the Monty Python foot stamp on that poor car?
Also have to ask...how does a guy as big as “pro-wrastler” John Cena even get in one of those things?
Ill fit for a big guy may have been what prompted him to sell it. It is pretty much a full-on racecar. Loud and uncomfortable.
And Ford marketing may not have done their homework. Just because he’s a celeb does not mean he’s in a position to actually afford a $500k car.
In a typical case, he would be also owe the IRS mucho tax for the half-million dollar infusion.
#8 His car alarm would go off on it’s own and he would be texted and called from the alarm company telling him his car was stolen even though he could see the car. The engine also would not start as the alarm would stop it.
I remember the episode. Kept calling it a lemon. Too wide to drive in the UK was also his favorite rant.
Just FYI: That gen Ford GT was the same width as Ferraris and other cars in its class. Usually the problem with cars built for a racetrack is low ground clearance and breakover angle.
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