---
title: "John Cena Fights Ford GT Flipping Lawsuit, Claims Dealer Messed Up Paperwork"
description: "Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena has been grappling with Ford Motor Company ever since the automaker sued him for selling his brand-new 2017 Ford GT after just a few weeks of ownership. But now Cena's gone for a leg sweep and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the no-resale language was missing from the final documents he signed with his local dealer in Florida."
date: "2018-02-19"
modified: "2018-04-12"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/18530/john-cena-fights-ford-gt-flipping-lawsuit-claims-dealer-messed-up-paperwork"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "Ford News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "People"
tags:
  - "Coupe"
  - "Flipping"
  - "Ford"
  - "GT"
  - "John Cena"
  - "Lawsuit"
  - "Supercar"
  - "Supercars"
---

# John Cena Fights Ford GT Flipping Lawsuit, Claims Dealer Messed Up Paperwork

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/cena.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena has been grappling with Ford Motor Company [ever since the automaker sued him](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/16586/ford-sues-wrestler-john-cena-for-flipping-his-ford-gt>) for selling his brand-new 2017 Ford GT after just a few weeks of ownership. But now Cena's gone for a leg sweep and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the no-resale language was missing from the final documents he signed with his local dealer in Florida.

With only 500 examples being made, [the Ford GT](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/10140/i-road-tested-every-generation-of-ford-gt-road-car-2>) was always going to be a hot ticket. But Ford went the extra mile to make sure speculators wouldn't be able to cash in on that pent-up demand, adding a two-year ban on flipping the car into the buying process. However, as Cena's lawyers point out, he didn't buy the GT directly from Ford; instead, he bought it from Elder Ford of Tampa, whose final, binding purchase agreement includes no such restriction.

"Ford’s action rests entirely on an alleged resale restriction that Ford failed to have its dealer incorporate in the dealer’s sales agreement," [Cena's motion reads.](<https://www.scribd.com/document/371539334/Cena-Motion-To-Dismiss>) "Ford agreed that the dealer’s sales agreement would be the final governing contract setting '\[t\]he purchase price and all other terms of sale' for the 2017 Ford GT."

Cena brought the $460,000 Liquid Blue Ford GT home from the dealership last fall, and though he gave the supercar a glowing review [on his Auto Geek YouTube series,](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/15978/watch-john-cena-take-delivery-of-his-new-ford-gt>) he decided to sell it to an undisclosed third party after owning it for less than a month. In its lawsuit, Ford sought to recoup whatever profit Cena made on the resale, plus $75,000 in damages and the right to buy back the car at its original price.

https://youtube.com/embed/wJhEK0E8E4Q

Exotic manufacturers [all have their own methods](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/10725/porsche-gt-boss-cracking-down-on-people-who-flip-his-cars>) for controlling who buys (and drives) their limited-edition cars, so Ford's certainly not alone in this fight. The company put applicants through several hoops to make sure the Ford GT [ended up with influential owners](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/11428/jay-leno-is-the-proud-new-owner-of-a-2017-ford-gt>) who would help boost the supercar's profile even further; when Cena applied, it certainly didn't hurt that he promised to "use every vehicle of communication to let the world know about the car, the brand, and the experience," [according to Ford's original lawsuit.](<https://www.scribd.com/document/366036207/Cena-Lawsuit>)

But apparently a four-minute YouTube video will have to suffice, and if the judge does dismiss the company's complaint based on the fact that the dealer flubbed the paperwork, the resale ban could crumble in the court as other owners seek to squeeze through the same loophole.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)