85-year-old Preston Henn prides himself on being one of America’s most famous car collectors who also happens to be a former 24 Hours of Daytona winner and a flea market baron who founded and grew the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop in Lauderhill, Florida. But none of those things are why he’s in the news these days. Okay, that part about being a famous car collector is tied into it, but that’s the extent of it. Preston Henn is in the news because he’s upset at Ferrari for deeming him unqualified to buy the Ferrari LaFerrari Spider. In fact, Henn is so ticked off that he’s taking the Prancing Horse to court over this perceived slap in the face.
Documents that were first brought to light by Autoweek revealed that Henn was not only calling the Italian automaker out, he’s actually suing Ferrari North America in excess of $75,000 over what he claims as statements made by the company that harmed his reputation as a loyal member of the Tifosi.
In the legal documents, Henn claims that he went to his local Ferrari dealership to place an order on the LaFerrari Spider, only to be rebuked for reasons that are still unknown to him. Undeterred, Henn wrote letters to the Ferrari brass and other execs from FCA, including CEO Sergio Marchionne. The letter to Marchionne also included a check worth $1 million as a deposit on the car.
To Henn’s dismay, the check was returned to him along with a message from Ferrari’s media manager, Enrico Galleria, saying that “all units have been already sold” and a reminder not to mail checks with that amount to Ferrari or any of its managers because they would not be held responsible if the checks ended up getting lost.
Feeling embarrassed by Ferrari’s cold shoulder treatment, Henn is taking the fight through the legal system and is insisting on a jury trial. For its part, Ferrari has yet to comment on the issue but considering the 85-year old’s status as one of the premier Ferrari car collectors in the world, a response from Maranello should be imminent.
Or maybe not. Either way, we’ll update everyone on the developments of a news story that has since turned into a legal drama.
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