Project One buyers to be asked not to flip

Automaker wants cars kept for a time

Mercedes-AMG is hoping to keep buyers of its US$2.72-million Project One hypercar from flipping them to make a quick profit by imposing a minimum on how long they have to keep the car, according to a German magazine.

Once the cars hit the market next year, they’re bound to become instant collector cars, especially because only 275 will be made. The Project One’s multimillion-dollar purchase price will seem like a bargain after the limited-edition race-cars-for-the-street hit the used market.

So, borrowing a page from the playbook Ford used in marketing its new GT supercar, the German automaker wants to impose a minimum amount of time owners have to keep the car before they can sell it, reports Auto Motor und Sport.

Buyers who do sell the car would face legal consequences, per the contract they signed upon purchase.

Of note is the fact at least one or two buyers of the Ford GT violated the clause in that automaker’s contract and sold their supercars mere months after purchase instead of the requisite two years. Ford has pursued those sellers legally, but in the meantime it’s made big bucks from selling its like-new limitededition vehicles.

Other automakers are similarly trying to find ways to stop customers from profiting from their lowproduction cars’ exclusivity. Aston Martin has said it will cancel the order for any buyer found selling off the build slot for its Valkyrie hypercar.