Black Coffee Reportedly Wins R7 Million High Court Battle Against Maserati South Africa
- Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee took Maserati South Africa to the Johannesburg High Court over a customised R9 million MC20 Cielo
- Black Coffee's company, Soulistic Music, had reportedly traded in a previous Maserati worth R7 million as a down payment toward the bespoke supercar
- The court ruled via summary judgment that Maserati allegedly breached the contract
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Source: Instagram
Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee has reportedly emerged victorious from a bruising legal fight with Maserati South Africa, with the Johannesburg High Court ordering the luxury carmaker to return R7 million to his company, Soulistic Music.
The ruling, handed down in August 2026, marks the end of a dispute that began when the Italian brand failed to deliver a bespoke supercar on time.
The dispute behind the ruling
At the centre of the case was a heavily customised Maserati MC20 Cielo built to 18 unique specifications, with an asking price of approximately R9 million. To secure the order, Black Coffee traded in his previous Maserati, valued at R7 million, as a deposit toward the new vehicle.
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According to TimesLIVE, Delivery was expected by mid-2025, but production stalled, and no confirmed handover date was ever given. Faced with an open-ended wait, the DJ cancelled the agreement and launched legal proceedings through Soulistic Music.
Court orders Maserati to pay up
The Johannesburg High Court ruled in favour of Soulistic Music via summary judgment, finding that Maserati had breached the terms of the contract. The luxury brand was ordered to refund the full R7 million trade-in, carry 10.5% annual interest calculated from 22 August 2025, and foot the legal costs.
Mzansi had a lot to say about the outcome online.
@BoitumeloCaleb broke it down humorously:
"DJ Black Coffee basically said: 'I gave you my R7 million.' Maserati said: 'Relax, it's a bespoke Italian supercar. You can't order extra stitching, colours, wheels and a fancy sound system and expect it tomorrow.' The court ultimately sided with Black Coffee, leaving Maserati with a R7 million bill plus interest and legal costs. And ironically, the whole dispute wasn't really about the R9 million car in the end — it became a fight over getting the R7 million trade-in value back."
Not everyone was convinced that Black Coffee would collect easily, though. @sirboring_26 was sceptical:
"He's not going to see a cent of that money. If it's at the Maserati dealership in Bryanston, people loan their cars to the dealership and loans were taken, and the cars used as security."
Read the full court victory report on TimesLIVE
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Source: Briefly News
