In 2017, Gregor Fisken spent a staggering $44 million to purchase a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from Bernard Carl (see photo). However, after selling the car to an anonymous collector, Fisken discovered that the gearbox inside the vintage vehicle was not the original gearbox. Surprisingly, this detail was not mentioned in the agreement with Carl that Fisken later re-read.
Carl was equally surprised by this incident and fully supported the search for the original gearbox in order to return it to Fisken. Unfortunately, both parties eventually located the gearbox, only to find out that it was now owned by a US-based car dealer.
Subsequently, the dealer offered to resell the gearbox to Carl and Fisken for a mere $25,000. However, both parties were hesitant to pay this seemingly small amount, considering the vintage Ferrari’s value of $44 million. The gearbox was inadvertently omitted from the initial agreement, leading to a legal dispute between the two parties.
Fisken accused Carl of fraud, but the seller stood his ground, stating that the black and white agreement they both signed did not mention the gearbox. Carl also argued that while he did not prevent Fisken from reuniting the Ferrari with the original gearbox, any associated costs should be borne by the buyer.
Considering the hefty price Fisken paid for the vintage car ($44 million or over 1,020 billion VND), it could be argued that the seller should have ensured the car was as complete as possible. However, this was not the case. In fact, Carl is now counter-suing Fisken and demanding $500,000 for the process of searching for the gearbox, which likely involved nothing more than a few online searches on Google.
Reference: Carscoops
Soviet Minister’s Car Shines Bright After Rebirth
Over time, especially since the country opened up in the 1990s, Soviet cars have gradually disappeared to be replaced by Japanese, American, and European cars. Many Volga, Lada, and UAZ cars were liquidated from state agencies and transferred to civilian registration, but they did not exist for long before a wave of both imported and assembled cars flooded the streets. Soviet cars slowly drifted away and became a nostalgic reminder of a generation that has gone through two wars.