Ford are apparently suing WWE star John Cena, after he sold his extremely rare 2017 GT supercar.
According to Ford, the 40-year-old professional wrestler had been chosen out of thousands of applicants to buy the $500,000 car, of which only 1,000 models were ever made.
Other notable people to own one of these elusive GTs include baseball pitcher Justin Verlander and race car driver Joey Logano.
However, as part of his contract, Cena was forbidden from selling the luxury sports vehicle for two years.
After he broke this rule – reportedly making a healthy profit in the process – Ford decided to take legal action.
According to TMZ, Ford have said:
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.
Ford have also expressed how their GTs are specially reserved for ‘only those individuals who truly desire a special ownership experience’ and ‘those individuals who will be influencers and ambassadors of the vehicle and the Ford brand’.
After filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Michigan, Ford are now said to be ordering Cena to give them all the profits he accumulated from the sale of the supercar.
On top of this, Ford also want John Cena to pay damages, which are said to exceed $75,000.
Cena has since explained how he sold the 647 hp car, along with other property, in order to pay his bills.
According to Yahoo Entertainment, Cena has said:
I completely understand and as stated am willing to work with [the Ford representative] and Ford to make it right. My sincere apologies.
The car itself has a number of exciting features, including an ecoboost V6 engine. It’s reportedly very light – due to being made from carbon fibre and is kept grounded by an aerodynamic buttress.
On an episode of YouTube’s The Bella Twins, Cena praised his gorgeous blue supercar:
I’ve talked about a bunch of cars, but this one is a race car. And just like the ’06, when they came out with the ’04, ’06 GT, it was revolutionary.
Because Ford literally put its fist down and said ‘we can do this just like anyone else’.
With a wedding on the cards, Cena will certainly not be wanting any financial losses.
Cena recently proposed to his girlfriend Nikki Bella at Wrestlemania, in front of a 75,000 strong crowd of wrestling fans back in April.
The ripped romantic admitted:
We’ve been together for about four and a half years and I figured at that point if I was to go down in flames, I would go down swinging!
It was meant to be that way and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it.
The case continues to unfold…
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.