Yahoo News Lakers guard sues 'Million Dollar Wheels' car dealer over $1-million Ferrari purchase
Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie is suing a "bespoke" luxury car seller and its reality-star general manager, claiming the company reneged on a crucial promise related to his purchase of a Ferrari that cost more than $1 million.
Dinwiddie — a veteran guard who signed a $1.55-million contract with the Lakers in February after he was waived by the Toronto Raptors — filed the suit Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Wires Only and its general manager at the time, Chadwick Hopkins.
Hopkins is one of the car dealers featured in the 2022 reality show "Million Dollar Wheels."
A Los Angeles native and former Woodland Hills Taft High School star, Dinwiddie says in his lawsuit that he made two purchases from the company, which boasts that it "caters to elite clients who demand the best and who seek cars that are top-of-the-line in rarity and appearance." Dinwiddie averaged 6.8 points per game off the bench for the Lakers last season.
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In November 2022, Dinwiddie purchased a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby for $699,000 from Wires Only, according to the lawsuit.
In early 2023, he decided to buy another car from the company. He settled on a 2022 Ferrari SF90 Spider in matte white that Hopkins helped him select, the complaint says. Dinwiddie agreed to pay $1.05 million for the vehicle.
But Dinwiddie claims that the purchase was based on an agreement with Wires Only that the company would sell Dinwiddie's Mustang. The sale of the Ferrari to Dinwiddie would go through only if the Mustang was sold, according to the lawsuit.
Dinwiddie made a $350,000 deposit on the Ferrari.
Dinwiddie believed that if the Mustang was not sold, Wires Only would buy back the Ferrari after 45 days.
Wires Only sent the Ferrari to Dinwiddie despite his team telling the company to hold off until the sale of the Mustang, the lawsuit says.
Wires Only denied being involved in either transaction with Dinwiddie. The company said it was named in the lawsuit erroneously, and Hopkins was not selling the cars on its behalf.
“Wires Only had nothing to do with either one of these transactions. We have all the supporting documents. We have spoken with Mr. Spencer Dinwiddie as well. He is going to clear our name,” said R.D. Whittington, owner of the company.
The relationship soured, the lawsuit alleges, as Wires Only struggled to sell the Mustang but refused to take back the Ferrari and return Dinwiddie's $350,000 deposit.
"I'm going to buy another crib in Malibu. I need the 350k back and mustang sold," Dinwiddie wrote in a text to Hopkins in April 2023, according to the complaint.
When he didn't hear back from Hopkins for more than two hours, he texted again.
"Cmon bro, don't ignore us."
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But Hopkins disputed the terms of the deal as portrayed by Dinwiddie's team.
"The $350,000 wasn't a deposit, it was an initial installment payment on the purchase of the SF90 Spider which we agreed to sell over 3 installments and 45 days between installment payments. You took delivery of a $1,050,000 car that you purchased and we appreciate your business," Hopkins said via text.
Dinwiddie argued that the Ferrari deal was always contingent on the Mustang sale.
"We talked consistently about the mustang being the lynchpin to the transaction. I'm disappointed this the stance you're going to try to take," he said in a text message, according to the lawsuit.
Attorneys for Hopkins and Dinwiddie did not immediately responded to requests for comment.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
