Formula 1 champion Jenson Button is at the center of a legal row in which he is accused of ‘fraudulently’ selling a prized 1970 Ford Bronco for $166,000 at auction, by ‘falsely’ claiming it was his used to be.
44-year-old Mr Button, who won the title in 2009 and is now an F1 expert for Sky Sports, put the automatic dark blue truck up for sale on a website called Collecting Cars in January 2022.
The advert, which is still online, clearly lists Button as the owner – adding: ‘It has been in Jenson’s possession for the past four years.’
It continues, “This is a striking custom truck that would make a great weekend cruiser or beach car,” adding that it has “only 170 miles on the odometer.”
It was bought by British company director Leo Eccles, 45, but he has now taken legal action against the GP chief executive, claiming he was ‘not the legitimate owner’ and instead belonged to his ‘girlfriend’ Brittny Ward, who became a wife after the sale.
Jenson Button posted this photo on Instagram of him behind the wheel of the Ford Bronco with the caption: “Cruising in Brittny Ward’s Bronco, basically keep the battery charged for her!”
Leo Eccles (pictured) has now taken legal action against Button, claiming he was ‘not the legitimate owner’ of the Bronco
Jenson Button and his model wife Brittny Ward pose for a photo together on holiday
Mr Button put the automatic dark blue custom truck up for sale in January 2022 on a website called Collecting Cars
Mr Eccles says he paid a premium for the car because he thought it belonged to Button – but he claims the car is worth a fraction of that value, around $32,000, because his girlfriend was the real owner.
As a result of the ongoing legal row, Mr Eccles – who is director of a Gloucestershire-based gaming company called Ginger Fox – and also has an address in Bromley, Kent, has still not collected the car from the US for two years. after the sale.
According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, and seen by MailOnline, Mr Eccles claims that although the vehicle was advertised as belonging to Button at the time of the sale, it was in fact his girlfriend Brittny’s car.
It is alleged the vehicle was registered to Brittny Ward’s name, not Button’s.
Brittny posted photos of the Bronco on her Instagram and indicated it was hers. She had been calling them “my girl,” according to court documents, but the message appears to have since been deleted.
In 2019, Button himself posted a photo while sitting in the car with the caption “Cruising in Brittny Ward’s Bronco, basically keep the battery charged for her!”.
The former F1 star was then featured on a podcast for Collecting Cars in November 2020, the company that arranged the auction of the Bronco two years later.
Their website reveals it has also arranged the sale of at least three other vehicles for Button, including a Porsche, a VW van and a Land Rover.
During the podcast interview, which is still onlineButton lists the cars he owns, from a Baja truck to “a couple of Jaguars,” adding, “I have a Bronco, which isn’t actually mine, it’s my wife’s car, but I’ll say it’s mine’.
The court documents state: ‘Button’s successful career and lucrative sponsorship deals have made him a very wealthy man and his fortune is estimated at between $150 and $170 million.
Yet, despite his wealth, Button had no qualms about putting a vehicle up for sale and advertising it as his own.
“His reputation helped the car sell for $166,000,” he added, “even though the same car was previously sold to users for only $32,000.”
After Button shared a photo behind the wheel of the Bronco, his wife Brittny replied, “Bad boy! It is (sic) has no records’
Button has been married to his wife Brittny since 2020 and the couple have two children
Mr Eccles (pictured) asked Mr Button to refund the $166,000 and cancel the sale once he discovered the true ownership, saying he had ‘obtained the amount by fraud’.
The paperwork adds: ‘Although the sale amount far exceeded the intrinsic value of the vehicle, there was no connection with Button.
‘It turns out Button did not own the car and never did. The car was owned and driven by his wife Ward, who posted a photo of the car on her Instagram account with the caption “my girl.”
Mr Eccles asked Mr Button, who also works as a senior adviser for Williams Racing, to refund the $166,000 and cancel the sale once he discovered the true ownership, saying he had “obtained the amount by fraud”.
In his claim, the married father-of-two – who is a keen sailor – added that Mr Button had failed to mention that the car needed ‘substantial repairs’ when it was put on the market.
It’s not clear what the ‘substantial repairs’ are as the vehicle’s listing states it is in ‘fair condition’ with some ‘paint chips’ – although it does highlight that the fuel injection display is not working, but probably too is due to ‘not connected correctly’. It then goes on to say that there are ‘no other known electrical weaknesses’.
The auction website Collecting Cars shows that at least four cars owned by Jenson Button, and two that had previously belonged to him, have been sold.
The court document says Mr Eccles would not have bought the car if he had known Mr Button’s girlfriend was the legal owner.
He adds that when he approached Button to cancel the sale, Button “offered a photo of himself in the car” and “re-registered it in his name.”
The document filed in Los Angeles County Court formally accuses Button and his wife of fraud, intentional misrepresentation and breach of contract and corporate code.
Mr Button (pictured, during his racing career in 2009) claims Mr Eccles is pulling out of the deal because he ‘can’t register the car’ in his home country
Mr Eccles claims the car (pictured) is worth about $32,000, a fraction of that value because Mr Button’s wife was the real owner
Lawyers for Mr Button say Mr Eccles was ‘looking for a way out of the deal’ because he had ‘buyer’s remorse’ over the car (pictured)
But Button has hit back with his own claim for “declaratory damages,” which under California state law is a legal process designed for those seeking “preventive justice.”
In particular, its purpose is to “put to rest controversies before they lead to the repudiation of obligations, infringement of rights or the commission of injustice.”
His claim states that Mr Eccles asked him to ‘hold the vehicle and place it in storage until he could arrange transport and registration in his home country’.
It also adds how Mr Eccles asked Button to make ‘improvements to the vehicle’, which he did, which involved installing rear seat belts, which he paid for.
Button claims Eccles is pulling out of the deal because he ‘can’t register the car’ in his home country.
The counterclaim adds that Mr. Button and his wife are “ready, willing and able to deliver the vehicle to Eccles, but he refuses.”
Lawyers for Mr Button say Mr Eccles was “looking for a way out of the deal” because he had “buyer’s remorse”.
Button married American former model Brittny, 33, in 2022 after selling the Bronco in January that year, and they now live in Los Angeles with their two children.
He had a 17-year career in Formula 1, winning the 2009 title while driving for Brawn.
MailOnline has attempted to contact both parties and no date has been set for the hearing in Los Angeles, despite the paperwork being filed late last year.
Brown, Neri, Smith and Khan, representing Mr Eccles, and Foley, Bezek, Behle and Curtis, acting on behalf of Mr Button, both of which are LA-based law firms, have also been approached. Neither party has commented.