Fake Ferrari Ring busted.

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Jim Prower

Jim Prower

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ROME (Reuters) - Italians are used to buying bogus Gucci bags or Rolex watches to look stylish but police found a new height of craftsmanship and cunning when they broke up a ring selling fake Ferrari cars for a fraction of the real price.
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Police accused 15 people of building the blood red sports cars and selling them to car fanatics on a budget, most of whom knew they were buying a counterfeit classic.

Car body workers who police called "very able" cobbled together mostly fake parts and a few original components. They used body parts from other makes of automobiles, such as chassis, roofs, hoods, trunks and doors.

The body parts were modified to look like Ferrari classics such as the 328 Gtb, which went out of production in the late 1980s.

Some of the cars sold for about 20,000 euros, about a tenth of the going price for some versions.

Police confiscated 21 cars, 14 of which had already been sold, and seven in production in Sicilian garages. (Reporting by Vladimir Pantaleone; Writing by Philip Pullella; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
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Now, wait a sec: if they knew they were buying Replicars, why did someone get angry enough to blow the whistle? and what does this mean for the replicar business as a whole? Or, were these guys trying to pass these cars off as Ferraris?
 
Well I'd assume that since the police went after them, they were trying to pass them off as real Ferrari's.
The body parts were modified to look like Ferrari classics such as the 328 Gtb, which went out of production in the late 1980s.

Some of the cars sold for about 20,000 euros, about a tenth of the going price for some versions.
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From this it sounds like they were trying to make "real" classics and sell them for cheap.
 
I'd like to know what donor cars they were using to hammer into Ferrari shapes. :lol:
 
Ferrari must have copyrighted their car designs...

This reminds me of the Magnum P.I. situation: they built a replica white Ferrari 348GTB for the main character to drive, and Ferrari took them to court for such replication. However, next, the actor was behind the wheel of the real thing!

Edit: Missed that!
 
i didnt think you could get into any kind of trouble for this... the buyers knew they were replicas...
 
I'm sure the trouble comes from Ferrari and the Police- not the buyers.
Chances are, Ferraris (like so many other cars) have their image protected (just as a patent or copyright would protect something).
I'm not sure of the legal situation but generally speaking, when you build a knock-off and sell it you can be criminally prosecuted.
Now if they just gave away the fakes... :indiff: :lol:

Personally, I'd love to have something like what they are talking about, sure it wouldn't work like a Ferrari but I'm sure many people wouldn't know the difference just by looking at the car. :sly:
 
I want a fake 360! Looks really well done in that small picture, they are not like those rubbish MR2 kits...

Wonder how much they cost...

r4197843288.jpg
 
superberkut
Ferrari must have copyrighted their car designs...

This reminds me of the Magnum P.I. situation: they built a replica white Ferrari 348GTB for the main character to drive, and Ferrari took them to court for such replication. However, next, the actor was behind the wheel of the real thing!
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nobody reads the credits in the back of video-game manuals, apparently.

every game with a vehicle licenced from a manufacturer AUTOMATICALLY states "names, emblems, body styles/shapes (emphasis mine)", and in Ruf's case, "body styling equipment" are "copyright, trademark, or Tradess of their respective companies".

and thanks to video games, even antique and classic bodies are now back under copyright protection, again. only the likes of truly dead manufacturers, which may ONLY be Studebaker in the US (Studebaker IS still in business. If I remember right, they're now a finance company.)
 
Kent
Personally, I'd love to have something like what they are talking about, sure it wouldn't work like a Ferrari but I'm sure many people wouldn't know the difference just by looking at the car. :sly:
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The other night Stephen Colbert revealed how to tell if its a fake Ferrari.

All you need to do is take a small pocket knife, and just nick some paint off right above the emblem. If its real.....




































someone will come beat your ass.
 
backspace
99.9% of the time it's safe to say it used to be a Fiero.
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I doubt it. 99% of all Fiero-based replicas look like crap. These, judging by that 1 picture, look like some actual thought was going into how the car should look.
 
The 360 Modena is based on a Peugeot 406 Coupe is it not. There is no-one in the world who could possibly spend €20,000 on a car thinking it was a real Ferrari when it isn't. It's not as if it's a counterfeit Fendi bag or something.

This is the company who makes the replica 360's based on Pug's...

http://www.extreme-sportscars.com/360/home_360.htm

They actually look (from the outside) faithful to the original, but that's probably the least important thing you're looking for in a driver's car, eh! So, they are pretty pointless unless you are a complete poser.
 

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