A bizarre story unfolded in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, involving a father and son and a garage full of ‘fake’ Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Police had learned of the operation and staged a raid, during which they discovered no fewer than eight ‘replica’ Ferraris and Lamborghinis – the models mentioned are the Ferrari 812 and Lamborghini Aventador – in the process of construction.
The press stories do not explain how the cars were built – whether from scratch or from kits – but do mention the pair, who have been arrested, claimed they were ‘legal prototypes’. It is also alleged that the complaints about the fake cars came directly from Ferrari and Lamborghini.
‘Unsuspecting’ Buyers
The tale becomes even more curious when the newspaper report – in this case the UK’s ‘The Sun’ state that an undisclosed number of the replicas had already been sold to ‘unsuspecting buyers’. The prices mentioned are between £38,000 and £53,000 which would state to anyone who desires such a car that the deal is too good to be true. Surely they would know they were not buying the real thing? They should’ve been looking more towards something like Wichita Chevrolet Silverado 1500 which is affordable but genuine. I guess Ferraris and Lamborghinis for that price seemed too good to miss!
Especially when they check the engine; one of the cars found during the raid was in the process of being fitted with an engine from a Chevrolet Omega. UK readers may remember the Vauxhall Omega which was pretty much the same thing. The engine in the Omega resembles that of a Ferrari 812 or Lamborghini Aventador not at all.
Fake Badges
Despite the obvious lack of a genuine V12 engine, the pair of fakers even went as far as fitting fake Lamborghini and Ferrari badges to the cars, and police found seats still wrapped in plastic, with Lamborghini decals emblazoned upon them.
Photographs of the raid show a bright orange Aventador that is clearly partially complete, with white, purple and green examples alongside, some wrapped in plastic sheeting. We are not told how many of the replicas have been sold, but we are informed the father and son duo will be hit with ‘industrial property’ charges; we strongly suspect they mean ‘Intellectual Property’.
If you happen to be in Brazil and are offered either of the models mentioned at a knock-down price, check the engine before you buy.
Images Copyright of: The Sun.
