Dealer Sues Benz Over $1.7-Million Lemon

It's unusual for a car to cost $1.7 million — and more unusual for it not to travel more than 10 blocks without breaking down. Despite such odds, that's what allegedly happened to Los Angeles dealer Mark Johnston of Grand Prix Motors, an exotic-car store.

He purchased a Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK-GTR Limited Edition Roadster, only five of which were reportedly built. The car is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive production car ever made.

Johnston has filed a suit seeking a full refund from DaimlerChrysler AG, Mercedes-Benz USA as well as Mercedes-AMG GmbH and H.W.A. GmbH, two German manufacturers of racing and high-end performance vehicles.

Johnston says that after driving it a short distance, the car's engine light came on. Then the transmission failed to shift properly. He says the hydraulic jack system failed and the windows became unglued.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of breaching their contractual and warranty obligations to provide a defect-free car.

“Unfortunately, the car turned out to be ‘exotic’ in the worst possible way,” says Johnston, a former mechanic, who also owns Ojai Ford with his brother.