Cody “WhistlinDiesel” Detwiler bought a 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo, lived in Tennessee, drove it in Tennessee, filmed it in Tennessee, and the car wore Montana plates.
That combination is enough for any state revenue office to act. A grand jury charged him with evading Tennessee sales tax. His bond landed at two million dollars. The mugshot spread online immediately.
The Montana Registration Game
Montana makes vehicle registration easy and cheap for LLCs. That has turned it into a loophole for people who want to keep a high value car registered out of state and avoid their own state’s sales tax.
Here is the only rule that matters: The state where the vehicle actually lives and operates is the state that gets to tax it.
Paperwork does not override reality.
If you live in Tennessee and the car is in Tennessee, Tennessee expects its money. Detwiler filmed the Ferrari in Tennessee constantly, so the state did not need an investigation. His own videos supplied everything.
The Ferrari Theory
Some claim Ferrari encouraged this case because Cody trashed an F8 on camera. There is nothing to support that idea. Ferrari is protective of its image and has punished owners before, but no evidence places them anywhere near this situation. It is speculation with no factual anchor.
The Tennessee Theory
Others claim the state targeted him out of dislike. That is unnecessary. The simple explanation fits the facts. A Tennessee resident bought an exotic car, ran out of state plates, and documented the entire timeline publicly. From a tax enforcement standpoint, it is an easy case with guaranteed attention. They did not need a personal motive. They just needed the footage.
The Real Story
A public figure showcased a Montana plated Ferrari while living and filming in Tennessee. States are cracking down on out of state registrations because they lose significant tax revenue every year. Cody made the job simple. Everything the state needed was already published on his channel.
We’re still collecting toys at both locations for our Toys for Tots toy drive- We’ll be doing this till December 8th!
- ABR Houston — 8498 Miller Rd, The Woodlands, TX 77354
832–797–9114
- ABR Houston West — 16510 Park Row Blvd, Houston, TX 77084
281–579–8885