Jenson Button pretended to own his girlfriend's car to raise the auction price, claims businessman

Jenson Button and Britney Ward got married in 2022, the year of the car commercial. Photo: DAVID M. BENETT/GETTY

JENSON BUTTON, The British racing driver has been accused of «fraudulently» selling his girlfriend's classic Ford Bronco for $166,000 (£131,400) at auction by falsely claiming that it belongs to him.

Mr Button, 44, won the 2009 race. The Formula One World Championship champion advertised a dark blue 1970 Ford Bronco on a collector car sales website in January 2022, identifying himself as the owner.

The truck was bought by Leo Eccles, a 45-year-old British businessman who claims he paid award, believing the car belonged to Mr Button, reports MailOnline.

Mr Eccles has since brought legal proceedings against Mr Button. Button, disputing his ownership and suggesting that the true owner was Button's then-girlfriend and now wife, Britney Ward, 33.

Jenson Button posted this photo on Instagram of himself driving Britney Ward's Ford Bronco

He claims the truck's true value is approximately $32,000, based on his assertion that Ms. Ward was his beneficial owner.

Los Angeles legal documents show that although the truck was sold as belonging to Mr. Button, it actually belonged to Ms. Ward. and was registered in her name.

Ms Ward previously shared photos of the Bronco calling it «my girl» on Instagram in a post that MailOnline understands has since been deleted. Mr. Button reportedly admitted in a 2020 podcast that the Bronco belonged to Ms. Ward.

1970 Ford Bronco of the year, owned by Britney Ward

Mr Eccles also alleges that Mr Button failed to mention that the car was in need of «significant repairs», with the listing mentioning only minor problems and describing the condition of the item as «fair».

Mr. Eccles is seeking a refund of $166,000 and the cancellation of the sale, claiming he was sold fraudulently.

The legal filing states: “Button’s successful career and lucrative sponsorship deals have made him a very wealthy man, with an estimated net worth at 150–170 million dollars.”

«However, despite his wealth, Button had no hesitation to put the car up for sale and advertise it as his.

» Because of his reputation, the car was sold for $166,000… although the same car had previously was sold for only $32,000.”< /p>

The document added: “As it turns out, Button did not own the car and never owned it. 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.”

However, Mr. Button filed a counterclaim, claiming that Mr. Button Eccles was experiencing “ buyer's remorse» and backs out of the deal because he is «unable to register the vehicle» in the UK, where he resides.

It adds that Mr Button is «ready, willing and able to deliver the vehicle to Eccles, but he refuses.”

Mr Button also claims that he “improved the car” by paying for rear seat belts to be installed after Mr Eccles asked for them to be installed.< /p>