Adam Levine Was Sold A Fake $1M 1971 Maserati; Sues Car Dealer

Adam Levine is suing prolific car dealer Rick Cole for allegedly selling him a fake limited-edition 1971 Maserati worth $1 million.

The 43-year-old Maroon 5 frontman traded his 1972 Ferrari 365 and 1968 Ferrari 365 — worth $950,000 combined — with Cole in exchange for the supposedly rare Maserati and $100,000 on Jan. 11, 2021, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.

The complaint said that the terms of the deal for the 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder — which was described in the lawsuit as "extremely desirable and valuable in the current classic car market" as only 25 were made — had been proposed by Cole, who is known for selling high-end vehicles to celebrities like Jay Leno and the late Frank Sinatra, the month prior.

But when he took the rare vehicle to Autosport Designs to market it, the singer discovered that the car dealer had already sold a car with the same vehicle identification number (VIN) as the one Levine got from Cole, the lawsuit alleged.

The filing claimed that the Maserati with that VIN had been sold several years earlier to British luxury car collector Clive Joy and was "under the care of legendary race car driver Christian Traber."

"Subsequent inspection and investigation revealed that the vehicle is not authentic," the court documents alleged. "Cole egregiously never disclosed any of this … withholding this information in order to make substantial monies on the sale."

Due to this, Levine said the value of the Maserati he acquired was now "far less than that paid by" his trust, the Adam Levine Living Trust, according to the federal suit filed in California last week.

Levine claimed that Cole was aware of the car's questionable identity and even "took active steps to fraudulently falsify the vehicle" to sell it at an "over-inflated price."

Cole allegedly tried to hide the fact that the car had the same VIN number as another Maserati and attempted to stop the vehicle from being resold to another shop because he "obviously feared that if [Levine's trust] marketed the vehicle, it would eventually learn the truth concerning its lack of authenticity and corresponding decrease in market value."

The court documents stated that even if the car is an original Ghibli Spyder, it is not the same vehicle as the VIN it was assigned.

The suit also suggested that the car could be a Maserati Ghibli Coupe that was converted into a Ghibli Spyder.

Levine is seeking to reclaim $850,000 — the price of the 1971 Maserati at the time of his purchase. However, Cole has allegedly refused to reverse the deal or pay the singer the purchase price, according to the New York Post.

The car dealer has yet to release an official statement regarding the allegations made against him.