Black Coffee Wins R7 Million Court Battle Against Maserati Over Undelivered Customised Supercar
Grammy-winning South African DJ and producer Black Coffee has emerged victorious in a legal dispute with Maserati South Africa after a customised luxury supercar he ordered failed to arrive as expected.
The Johannesburg High Court has ordered Maserati South Africa to pay R7 million, approximately $438,000, to Soulistic Music, the company owned by Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo. In addition to the R7 million principal amount, Maserati was ordered to pay interest at an annual rate of 10.5% from August 22, 2025, until the debt is fully settled, as well as the legal costs associated with the proceedings.
The judgment was reportedly handed down by acting judge Sanet van Aswegen. According to reports by TimesLIVE, the court’s summary judgment order did not set out detailed reasons for granting judgment in favour of Black Coffee’s company. The ruling brings a major chapter of the dispute to a close, although Maserati’s position regarding a possible appeal was not immediately available.
How a luxury-car purchase ended up in court
The dispute dates back to Black Coffee’s decision to replace a Maserati MC20 Coupe he had purchased in 2022 for R7 million. He later opted for a significantly more expensive and highly customised Maserati MC20 Cielo, valued at approximately R9 million ($563,000).
As part of the proposed transaction, the dealership reportedly offered R7 million as the trade-in value for Black Coffee’s existing MC20 Coupe. He would then have been required to pay the remaining R2 million once the new vehicle was delivered. However, what initially appeared to be a straightforward luxury-car upgrade eventually became a legal battle.
Black Coffee’s company maintained that an agreement had been reached through a combination of written communication and verbal discussions, with the new MC20 Cielo expected to be delivered by July 2025. The situation changed in June 2025 when the dealership reportedly informed Black Coffee that the vehicle would only enter production in August.
With no definite delivery date available, Black Coffee subsequently cancelled the transaction and demanded the return of the R7 million trade-in value.
A supercar customised to Black Coffee’s taste
The vehicle at the centre of the dispute was far from an ordinary showroom model. Black Coffee reportedly selected 18 individual specifications for the MC20 Cielo, giving the car a highly personalised configuration.
Among the features selected were Maserati’s Blu Infinito exterior paint, glossy black diamond-cut wheels and an interior combining leather and Alcantara.
The customisation reportedly extended to a premium Sonus Faber 12-speaker sound system, bespoke stitching and specially selected colours for the seat belts, interior finishes and brake callipers. The MC20 Cielo is the convertible version of Maserati’s MC20 supercar and is distinguished by its retractable glass roof.
Read alsoThe 13 Best Colognes to Wear This Fall
For an international DJ and producer whose career is built around music and performance, the upgraded sound system and extensive interior customisation added another layer of personality to what was already a high-value purchase.
Maserati challenged the delivery agreement
Maserati South Africa disputed Black Coffee’s version of events, particularly the claim that the vehicle had been guaranteed for delivery by July 2025. The company argued that Black Coffee had requested additional specifications that were not contained in the original quotation. According to Maserati’s court filings, those specifications required confirmation from the customer and approval from Maserati’s head office before production could commence.
Maserati reportedly maintained that a customised MC20 Cielo could take at least nine months to manufacture once the specifications had been finalised. The company also challenged the circumstances surrounding the R7 million trade-in valuation.
Its position was that the R7 million value assigned to Black Coffee’s existing MC20 was connected to his completion of the purchase of the new vehicle. Without the replacement transaction going ahead, Maserati argued that the older vehicle would not necessarily retain the same trade-in valuation.
Despite those arguments, the Johannesburg High Court granted summary judgment in favour of Soulistic Music. Maserati was consequently ordered to repay the R7 million, together with interest and legal costs.
Importantly, because the reported order did not provide detailed reasons, the ruling should not be interpreted as a finding that Maserati committed fraud or intentionally misled Black Coffee. The case centred on the contractual dispute surrounding the vehicle, its delivery and the money involved.
From South Africa to the global stage
The legal victory comes against the backdrop of Black Coffee’s remarkable rise from South Africa’s electronic music scene to international stardom.
In 2022, he won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album for Subconsciously, becoming the first South African producer to win the category. His Grammy victory cemented his position as one of Africa’s most successful electronic music artists and opened an even larger international platform for his work.
Over the years, Black Coffee has performed around the world and collaborated with major international names, including Drake, David Guetta, Pharrell Williams and Usher. His international profile also reportedly featured in the Maserati negotiations.
During discussions surrounding the customised vehicle, the dealership allegedly told Black Coffee that Maserati’s factory had made a special exception to secure a production slot because of his global status. However, the arrangement ultimately failed to produce the vehicle within the timeframe Black Coffee expected.
A costly lesson in luxury-car deals
The case highlights how even high-profile luxury purchases can become complicated when custom orders, production timelines, trade-in arrangements and contractual expectations collide. For Black Coffee, what began as an attempt to upgrade from his existing Maserati MC20 became a multimillion-rand legal dispute.
For Maserati South Africa, the judgment means the company must now return the R7 million awarded to Soulistic Music, in addition to the accumulated interest and legal expenses. The dispute also serves as a reminder that highly customised luxury vehicles can involve lengthy production processes and multiple layers of approval, making clear contractual terms around specifications, delivery dates and cancellation rights particularly important.
For now, however, the court has ruled in Black Coffee’s favour, leaving the Grammy-winning star set to recover the R7 million at the heart of the dispute — even though the bespoke Maserati he originally wanted never made it into his garage.
