Buyer of Ian Wright Ferrari was sold a ‘dog’
A CAR enthusiast had a £43,400 Ferrari shipped to Australia from Britain before realising it had previously been crashed by the former footballer Ian Wright.
Reid Torr, a computer engineer in Brisbane, is in line for a large compensation payout after he bought the blue Ferrari 360 Spider in the belief it was in a good condition, only to receive it in a state of disrepair. He soon found the car had been involved in a head-on crash in July 2004 under previous owner Wright, but a car dealer described it as being in “excellent” condition.
Central London county court has now ruled Mr Torr is entitled to compensation following a five-year legal battle between himself and Brendan Connor, the Hertfordshire dealer who sold the car. Recorder Graeme Robertson ruled that Mr Connor, 65, was “dishonest” during the sale and was “liable in fraudulent misrepresentation” because he did not believe he was telling the truth when he described the car as being in a good condition.
The court heard that the car, which would have cost £120,000 when it first went on sale, had previously been owned by Wright, the former Premier League star and Match of the Day pundit. There is no suggestion he is in any way involved in the case. It sustained severe damage when it collided with a tree in Croydon, south London, with the former footballer at the wheel in 2004, narrowly missing a row of houses as it careered down a bank.
Mr Torr bought the car after seeing an online advert for it being sold by Heathfield Motor Company Ltd in Hertfordshire, of which Mr Connor was the sole director, in April 2013. It was described as in “great condition in and out” and Mr Torr claimed he was told on the phone it was “in excellent condition with no damage to its body or interior”.
His barrister, Stephanie Jarron, said Mr Torr agreed to the purchase and it was shipped to Australia in May 2013.
The bonnet fit so badly an attempt had been made to fix it by installing washers under a hinge, there was a crack to the inside of a headlight, the wings were poorly fitted and there was also damage to the paintwork, soft-top roof and underside of the car, she said. The barrister told the judge an Australian mechanic called the motor a “dog”.
Giving judgment this week, the judge found Mr Connor did not know about Wright’s accident but as an automotive professional and a former mechanic would have known what to look for when he inspected the vehicle.
Recorder Robertson said: “Mr Connor was not telling me the truth when he said he did not see the defects.”
Mr Torr’s damages are to be decided.