Jerry's fake Porsche

[Joe Bob]

But nobody is talking......

Jerry Seinfeld has settled a pair of lawsuits stemming from the $1.54 million sale of one of his classic Porsches in 2016.

The 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster was one of 17 cars the comedian auctioned at a Gooding & Company event in Florida for a total of $22.2 million.

Three years after the sale in 2019, the buyer of the Porsche, a company called Fica Frio, filed a lawsuit alleging that the vehicle wasn't an authentic factory build and had been converted to resemble the model that was advertised.

This is not an uncommon practice in the collector car world, but a seller is expected to represent their car's origins accurately. Seinfeld claimed he was unaware the car wasn't genuine when he purchased it and reportedly apologized and told the buyer he'd make things right.

Seinfeld also filed his own third-party complaint against the dealer he purchased the vehicle from in 2013 for $1.2 million, European Collectibles of Costa Mesa, Calif.

Both lawsuits have now been settled, according to Reuters. Details of the private agreements were not released, but the closures of the suits were documented in Manhattan federal court on June 1.

[AG81]

Jerry Seinfeld knows Porsche cars. I am sure he was embarrassed by this whole ordeal. I am also sure he was pissed off at the dealer who sold him the car and dragged him into all of this.....

[faapgar]

This stank.He loves his cars.He got taken.I mean really.He needs to commit fraud?Check out his net worth.The guys who sold him the car smoked him period.Time for the boys in the Black Sedan to pay those guys a visit with a Babe Ruth Bat.Did I really say BAT.The price just went up.2 appendages on each side below the hip.Ciao

[75 911s]

He commented on this briefly on a recent episode of Spikes car radio podcast.

[GG Allin]

If no one wants that car, I'll take it. I assume it's got a real 4 cam engine in it?

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

If no one wants that car, I'll take it.

My thoughts exactly. I'm used to them faking it so no problems from me.

[GG Allin]

This is the most detailed article I've been able to find on the subject. Still not clear on exactly what they found that convinced them the car was fake. Most articles mention "lack of detailed pictures during restoration". I suspect a tub swap was done and that they started with the real deal.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hotcars.com/a-detailed-look-at-jerry-seinfelds-1958-porsche/amp/

[75 911s]

What they found is that the guy who had the original VIN showed up. The original car is just a front clip I think, Jerry explains it in the podcast.

[Bill Douglas]

If they spend long enough arguing about it, the value of a "ordinary" 356 Speedster with a four cam engine will catch up with the $1.54 mil sale price.

[nota]

it is not really a street motor tune was always needed

it is not happy at low or even mid revs and makes not much power there until near the red line

my dad had one as a not too old used car it was quickly flipped

sold on a r&t ad to guy who flew in and drove my dad nuts on the test drive
but that was a coupe dad had a speedster but a normal motor before the carrera

[aschen]

That car is a slice of alright I don't care if it is some sort of bastardized fantasy spec, sign me up

[Steve Carlton]

Who has it now? I wonder what it's worth. Asking for a fake friend.

[smokintr6]

When you look at the public information, it reads more like the expert didn't have enough information to authenitcate it, rather than actual fraud found. It would be silly to not have photographs of restoration of a 1.5 million dollar car, but it's certainly not a legal requirement. It becomes a Ship of theseus paradox at some point. Plenty of crazy vintage race cars get re tubbed or have major structural repairs. and aren't suddenly inauthentic. Obviously being sold with transparency would be expected. But I doubt there is really anyone that can truly authenticate something that rare. Jerry blinked. I wonder what would have happened if he stood his ground.

[Steve Carlton]

What authenticates modern restorations? Is it the VIN tag or stamp? It seems a common enough issue. It said here the real owner of the VIN surfaced, so it sounds like Jerry's car is inauthentic. He could easily afford to take the car back, even if it was only worth a dollar. I suspect if he stood his ground he would have done more damage to his reputation than the value of the car. Beyond his reputation he has his own integrity to consider. His money makes it an easy choice.

The "Ship of Theseus" reference was interesting. I hadn't heard that before. Thanks for that!

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

W
The "Ship of Theseus" reference was interesting. I hadn't heard that before. Thanks for that!

Me too! Every day is a school day on PPOT!


"Centuries later, the philosopher Thomas Hobbes introduced a further puzzle, wondering what would happen if the original planks were gathered up after they were replaced, and used to build a second ship. Hobbes asked which ship, if either, would be the original Ship of Theseus."

"The Greek philosopher Heraclitus attempted to solve the paradox by introducing the idea of a river where water replenishes it.”

[A930Rocket]

Does this make sense in the article? The roller bearing camshaft made the transmission stronger?

“Non-GT models came with plain bearing cams, while this rare 1.5-liter had four roller bearing camshafts, making the transmission far stronger than other models. The flat 4-cylinder was a 4-speed manual and made 110 bhp“

[dafischer]

I believe that should have read crankshaft, rather than camshaft. But I'm not sure how that would make the transmission stronger.

[pwd72s]

Sigh..poor Jerry.

(edit) Just realize the above could be misconstrued. In no way do I think Jerry was trying to deceive.

But this does back up my often said thought that there are higher moral standards in a pool hall than in the collector car world.

[sc_rufctr]

Good Lordy it's beautiful

[KFC911]

To quote Elaine....

"Fake, fake, fake, fake"...

And I would not care if she faked it either

Beautiful car!