Porsche Restoration Outfit CPR Classic Allegedly Owes Its Clients $11.7M
CPR Classic has allegedly sold cars without paying owners, and taken money from buyers without delivering cars, making for one messy legal situation.Â
There are many, many companies out there that deal with Porsche vehicles in some manner – whether that be sales, service, restorations, or custom builders – and for the most part, those companies are reputable and treat their customers well. However, as is the case in every industry, there are also same proverbial bad apples that either try and swindle their customers outright, or perhaps wind up going that route when they run into bit of financial trouble. It’s unclear what prompted Porsche restoration and sales outfit CPR Classic out of Fallbrook, California to suddenly begin its alleged shady practices, but now, the company reportedly owes its customers millions of dollars.
A recent investigation conducted by NBC 7 in San Diego uncovered some pretty eye-opening details about this particular scam, in which CPR Classic – a company that’s been in business for a whopping 40 years – is now facing dozens of lawsuits from customers claiming that it owes them a total of $11.7 million. Even more troubling, there are others who haven’t filed a lawsuit against the company, and yet, claim that it owes them money as well. One of those customers – Hans Claassen – enlisted CPR to sell his beloved 1970 Porsche 911 that was a gift from his wife when it was brand new.
Sadly, when Claassen’s wife was diagnosed with dementia recently, they needed the money to pay for treatment, and thus, the two sides agreed to sell the 911 for $135,000 with a 10 percent commission. A few months later, CPR told him that they had located a buyer, only to later say that this person backed out of the deal. After that, months went by with little communication, at least, until a little squeezing netted Claassen a $10,000 payment as part of a “monthly plan” – but nothing else. Obviously frustrated, Claassen began reaching out to TV stations in the area, and NBC 7 started doing a little digging after hearing his story.
That digging quickly turned up dozens of lawsuits that have been filed against CPR Classics in the San Diego area alone, and consists of a variety of Porsche owners who claim the company sold their cars and never paid them, as well as buyers who say they never received the vehicles they paid for. In one case, CPR Classic reportedly sold a Porsche 356 that it was restoring for a customer, who claims that they never gave the shop permission to sell. Making matters worse, the person that bought it claims they shelled out $160,000 for the car and never took delivery of it, either.
Other lawsuits claim that customers did take delivery of vehicles but never received the title, and in many cases, sellers were even provided with fake tracking numbers for alleged payments. CPR initially agreed to discuss all of this with NBC 7, but suddenly stopped responding – eventually lawyering up – and when the news station arrived at the company’s headquarters, it found eviction notices on the building. It’s a truly unfortunate situation for the many customers who entrusted CPR Classics with their money and their cars, but for now, it seems as if this literal nightmare is going to have to play out in the legal system before they find any sort of resolution.
Photos: CPR Classic
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