Dearborn, Michigan - Pro wrestler and actor John Cena has settled his legal dispute with Ford over the early resale of his Ford GT for an undisclosed sum, which Ford will donate to charity.
Only 500 of the $450 000 (R6.2 million) supercars were to be made in the first year of production, but Ford received 6506 confirmed orders for them, so it was able to be very, very picky about just who was allowed to buy them. In order to prevent speculators from ‘flipping’ the cars and making a quick profit on them, Ford made it a condition of sale that the customers had to keep them for at least 24 months.
But that didn’t stop Cena, who took delivery of his GT in Florida late in September 2017 and sold it less than a month later to New Autos in Chico, California.
Ford promptly sued Cena for breach of contract, asking the district court in Michigan to nullify the sale and order Cena to sell the car back to the maker for $463,376.50 (R6 342 072) - the price Cena paid for it - or to award it $75 000 (R1.03 million) in damages, which would effectively wipe out the profit Cena made on the car, and then some.
Unenforceable
Cena’s lawyers argued that the 24-month clause was unenforceable, but before the case went to court Cena, who’s in the middle of trying to win back his long-term girlfriend, fellow wrestler Nikki Bella, after she broke off their engagement in April and who really doesn’t need any more mud slung at him, settled out of court after Ford offered to donate the money to charity.
In a statement emailed to
, the lawyers said: “John Cena reached a settlement with Ford Motor Company for selling his Ford GT despite a program requirement to retain ownership for 24 months. Ford will now donate the proceeds to charity.
“The re-sale restriction - common for the world’s most exclusive cars - was part of an extensive owner selection process to ensure the passion and aura surrounding the Ford GT is maintained.
“ ‘I love the Ford GT and apologize to Ford, and encourage others who own the car to respect the contract,’ said Cena. ‘I am pleased we could resolve this matter outside of court, and that a worthy charity will benefit from one of the most iconic cars in the world.’ "