Auto Salon Singen has been one of the major European dealers for collectors' vehicles, sports cars and classic cars since 1985. The family business is now under provisional insolvency administration.
auto motor und sport already reported on the events on August 1, 2025: The decisive factor had been a case of fraud. An alleged intermediary had contacted Koltes and used confidential information about his father to give the impression that he knew Fridolin Kortes well. The person gained the car dealer's trust and offered to broker current Ferrari models for him. Koltes was also to obtain limited edition cars for his customers. The agent demanded "a considerable commission" for this, according to the company boss. With price lists, including models for selected Ferrari customers, and a quick response to desired configurations, the contact person demonstrated his good relationship with the manufacturer. Koltes: "I almost had the impression that I was in direct contact with the factory."
Auto Salon Singen customers had made down payments for these vehicles. After several delivery dates were "canceled at short notice or postponed again and again", Koltes investigated further and "discovered that the person could no longer be found at the known address and the information he had received about his whereabouts." He had obviously been taken in by a fraudster, filed a complaint and informed the affected customers. Because the amount of the down payments significantly exceeded the capital, he filed for insolvency for Auto Salon Singen GmbH.
Business is currently continuing and all payments are being made via the insolvency administrator's account, explains Koltes. Until the end of October - when Auto Salon Singen will probably have to close. Most recently, Auto Salon had a good 200 cars in its showroom and 400 more on offer. Like many dealers, the Auto Salon has also suffered from sluggish business recently: "The corona pandemic, the Ukraine war or inflation had massively affected the planning security of customers and the company; there was a great deal of restraint in the classic car sector in particular," explains Kortes.
Koltes may have seen the Ferrari agent as a savior in times of need. He explains in the Singener Wochenblatt that such an intermediary was not unusual for him, "as I have often successfully obtained premium vehicles from a wide variety of manufacturers for my customers through such contacts in the past. In business today, networks and good relationships play a key role in success."
In the end, however, the dealer advises colleagues and customers in "Autohaus Nachrichten": "I have to advise everyone to really exercise the greatest caution, as scams are being perpetrated these days that I could never have imagined before. Sometimes the seemingly best deals are the worst."
