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Why You Probably Won't See Nicolas Cage Driving A Ferrari

 1 year ago
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Why You Probably Won't See Nicolas Cage Driving A Ferrari

Nicholas Cage
Jc Olivera/Getty Images
By Eli Shayotovich/June 27, 2022 6:07 pm EDT

Whether it's for good, bad, or weird reasons... Nicolas Cage always seems to be in the news. If you didn't know, or just forgot, Cage is actually a Coppola, born to August Coppola, brother of famous movie director Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather"). So it shouldn't be a shock that Cage followed his movie-mogul uncle to Hollywood. 

At last count, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has him credited in over 100 movies. He has played everything from a modern-day Indiana Jones in "National Treasure" to a car thief in "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and faced off against John Travolta in "Face/Off." The man even received an Academy Award for Best Actor in "Leaving Las Vegas."

Cage was once filthy rich, having an estimated net worth of $150 million. He owned dozens of cars, including a 2003 Ferrari Enzo, for which he reportedly paid $1 million. He spent his fortune on other things like private islands, pet octopuses, and shrunken pygmy heads (yes, more than one). He once bought a 70-million-year-old stolen dinosaur skull, and his love for Superman — he did name one of his sons Kal-El after the fictional Kryptonian hero — extended to purchasing a very rare copy of Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman) for $150,000. He eventually fell into debt and had several of his properties foreclosed on after failing to pay $6.3 million in property taxes to the IRS (via CNBC).

If Ferrari is once bitten, it will be twice shy moving forward

Ferrari Enzo
Kevin Tichenor/Shutterstock

The 2003 Ferrari Enzo was just one of a handful of Ferraris that Cage owned before falling into financial despair. However, Cage says he never declared bankruptcy, of which he seems very proud.

The big red machine that is Ferrari might not see it that way, though. Unlike most other cars, you simply can't just wake up one morning and buy a Ferrari off the lot. There are, in fact, a host of requirements and expectations that a person must meet to be allowed to purchase one of the iconic sports cars. And it would appear that Cage may have broken more than a few of those unwritten rules over the years.

One of the more important ones is protecting the brand and the culture surrounding the company. Much like Ferrari holds its employees accountable for their actions, owners must also hold themselves to a higher standard, because they become brand ambassadors for the Italian automaker after their purchases. The last thing Ferrari wants to see is an owner of one of their cars doing something that could negatively impact how the general public views its cars, and, by default, the company's image.

Don't buy a Lamborghini if you want a Ferrari

Nicolas Cage holding glass of wine
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

While Cage owned several Ferraris and even purchased his rare 2003 Enzo directly from the company, he also had several Lamborghinis in his collection, including the ultra-rare 1971 Lamborghini Miura Super Veloce Jota once owned by the Shah of Iran, which he bought for $450,000. The two Italian supercar makers hate each other. The conflict is so deep that if Ferrari knows you own a Lamborghini, it will refuse to sell you one of its cars (via Hot Cars).

And its control over owning a car extends to how a person can resell their vehicle. Upon purchase, owners must agree to a rather detailed binding purchase agreement. Part of that agreement not only mandates that Ferrari gets the first right of refusal to buy back its car, but it says when and how long you must hold on to it before even being allowed to resell it (via Auto Evolution). Depending on what Cage agreed to during his purchase of the 2003 Enzo — and the other Ferraris in his collection — he may have made enemies in Maranello, Italy when he was forced to sell it off to repay his personal debts.

So, in the end, one could see how Cage's antics may have jeopardized his ability to ever again own and drive another Ferrari.


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