- According to the lawsuit, Robert Guarini crashed a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition model in Florida in 2022.
- When he took his car to be repaired, he discovered earlier damage that he claims had not been disclosed when he purchased the car.
- He’s now suing Silver Arrow, a Canadian dealer, for the difference in value between the price he paid, and the actual value of the vehicle, in addition to punitive damages.
The saga of the 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition that crashed into a palm tree in Florida may soon have a new chapter. A man named Robert Guarini is suing a Canadian dealership for allegedly withholding information about prior damage to a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition that he crashed. That happens to also be the name of the man who drove the same model of car into a palm tree in 2022 because he was “unfamiliar with how to drive stick.”
Built to celebrate Ford’s legendary string of overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1966 to 1969, the original Ford GT Heritage edition was only sold in 2006. According to Guarini’s lawsuit, he was unwittingly sold the one involved in a different, yet viral, 2015 crash in Brazil.
Read: $700,000 Ford GT Heritage Ruined Because Florida Man Can’t Drive Stick
After the crash, the Brazilian owner shipped the car to Detroit to have it fixed, and later sold it to a dealer in Tampa, Florida, reports Autonews. At the time, the restoration was disclosed to the buyer both verbally, and in writing. This is where things start to get weird, though.
Silver Arrow, the Canadian dealer accused of withholding information about the car, recorded purchasing the vehicle on the same day that it was bought by the Tampa dealer, coincidentally also the same day it was bought by a dealer in Arizona, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff claims that all three sales occurred in quick succession, and that Silver Arrow then “almost immediately” consigned an auctioneer to sell the vehicle in 2022. From our previous report on Florida incident, it appears that this GT was auctioned off by Barrett-Jackson. The dealer is accused of not disclosing the prior damage or restoration to the auction firm, whose pre-consignment form requires a seller to do so.
The car sold for over $700,000 in March of 2022, but unfortunately, just three weeks later, it crashed again. That’s around the same time a driver named Robert J. Guarini lost control of a 2006 Ford GT Heritage while downshifting into second gear and drove it into a palm tree in Florida.
A man named Robert Guarini crashed his 2006 Ford GT back in 2022 because we was”unfamiliar with how to drive stick”. The photos of the incident were shared by John Peddie on Facebook.
After the crash, Guarini, the plaintiff, brought the car in for repairs and learned of the earlier damage. His lawyers say that he was not provided with information about the car’s initial crash, and would not have bought the vehicle if he had known about it, since accidents lower the value of a classic vehicle.
Now, Guarini, along with a Florida-based dealer called Bourak Auto Sales, are suing Silver Arrow, seeking the difference between the price paid for the Ford GT and its actual value, as well as punitive damages, and attorney fees.
On its behalf, Silver Arrow says that it is working to have the case thrown out, calling the allegation against it a “claim with not merit.” The dealer also noted that the car had a clean Carfax report, although this may be because the initial crash it was involved in happened outside the the U.S.
Silver Arrow has faced legal issues in the U.S. previously. In 2019, Ford sued the dealership for violating its 24-month resale ban on the latest GT. Additionally, in 2017, it was embroiled in a dispute in Washington state regarding a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, resulting in the plaintiff winning a default judgment against the dealership.
