South African Grammy Award-winning DJ Black Coffee has scored a major legal victory after the Johannesburg High Court ordered Maserati South Africa to pay his company R7 million following a dispute over a luxury car deal.
The judgment, which amounts to roughly $438,000 was granted in favour of Soulistic Music, the company owned by Black Coffee. Maserati was also ordered to pay interest of 10.5% per year on the amount from 22 August 2025 until it is fully settled, as well as the legal costs of the case.
The legal battle dates back to Black Coffee’s plans to upgrade from his existing Maserati MC20 Coupe, which he purchased in 2022 for around R7 million.
He later opted for a customised Maserati MC20 Cielo, reportedly valued at approximately R9 million.
As part of the proposed deal, Maserati allegedly offered R7 million for his existing vehicle as a trade-in, with Black Coffee expected to pay the remaining R2 million once the new car was delivered. The deal however, quickly went left.
Black Coffee’s company maintained that the new vehicle was supposed to be delivered by July 2025. But in June 2025, Maserati reportedly informed him that production would only begin in August and that there was no definite delivery date.
What's your hot take on this story?
Black Coffee subsequently cancelled the transaction and demanded the return of the R7 million trade-in value. The MC20 Cielo wasn’t going to be an ordinary showroom model.
Black Coffee reportedly selected 18 custom specifications for the vehicle, including Maserati’s Blu Infinito exterior colour, glossy black diamond-cut wheels and a leather and Alcantara interior.
The customisation also included a premium Sonus Faber sound system, customised stitching and specially selected colours for the seat belts, interior finishes and brake callipers. Maserati, however disputed Black Coffee’s version of events. They argued that there was no agreed July 2025 delivery deadline and claimed some of the additional specifications still needed to be confirmed by Black Coffee and approved by Maserati’s head office.
The company further argued that a fully customised MC20 Cielo could take at least nine months to produce once the specifications had been finalised.
Despite Maserati’s arguments, the Johannesburg High Court granted summary judgment in favour of Soulistic Music. Acting Judge Sanet van Aswegen ordered Maserati to repay the R7 million, together with interest and legal costs. The judgment itself reportedly did not provide detailed reasons for the court’s decision. For Black Coffee, the ruling brings a major win in a luxury car dispute that has been playing out for months.
