From handbags to ham, Italy has produced some of the finest goods - and
counterfeits - on sale. Now police have broken a ring of talented mechanics
who have turned down-at-heel cars into replicas of Ferrari sports cars for
sale at rock bottom prices to gullible motorists.
Officers have seized at least 14 counterfeit classics during the nationwide
operation, and eight people are under investigation. The mechanics were
“extremely able artisans” who turned the chassis of Pontiacs, Mercedes-Benz
and Toyotas into credible fakes painted in the Ferrari characteristic blood
red, according to Guido Geremia, the head of the Palermo unit of the Italian
financial police that led the investigation.
The unit seized 14 fake Ferrari Modena 360s, seven of which had already been
sold with a further seven under construction. The cars were sold for as
little as $30,000 (£15,000), far below the selling price of $142,000 when
the model went out of production in 2004.
Mr Geremia said that some drivers had paid as much as $50,000, “or even more
if the buyer is a mug”. The buyers knew that the cars were fake and were
simply trying to impress neighbours and other road users. “That is the only
reason,” Mr Geremia said.
His investigators launched the operation against the car counterfeiters six
months ago. The first raid was on a small mechanics' shop in Licata, near
Palermo in Sicily, but the search spread across Italy as far as Milan.
Possible charges against those involved are criminal association,
counterfeiting, domestic industry fraud and traffic in stolen goods.
In the Licata case, the mechanics worked from a model of collector's quality,
with all the correct details and proportions. Parts were bought on the
internet. “All you need to do is go on the internet to see how diffused this
sort of thing is,” Mr Geremia said. “There are all kinds of kits available
to modify cars to resemble Ferraris and other costly brands,” he said. The
fakes breached copyright because even the smallest parts of Ferraris and
other cars are patented.
During their country-wide search, police turned up fake Porsches, Mercedes, a
Lamborghini, Toyota and a Lotus. Mariella Mengozzi, a Ferrari spokesman,
said that the company had been alerted to previous fakes of its iconic
sports cars. The company has in the past found videos of body shops
reworking other cars into Ferraris. “Ferrari is a product that maintains its
value over time and, of course, we try to protect our clients who buy the
real thing. When a car is not official, it does not have the characteristics
it should have for the brand,” the spokesman said.
The investigation is continuing.
Regjstra Karamna, that is a ridiculous and naive assumption; a car light bulb is normally generic, and even the design behind the filament and glass extrusion process in these bulbs is normally patented. The article's comment concerns parts such as complex engine components such as fuel injection chambers, valves and ball race bearings.
Ed, London,
These in america are called kit cars. Anyone with good mechanical skills can create a kit car out of a pontiac fiero. Lamborghinis and other exotics can be made. You still have to spend money on the body panels, paint and interior. $30,000 for a really nice kit car ferari is probably worth it. People need to know what they are looking for when they start buying rare or exotic cars. Now if these guys forge the registration of the car, they should get some forgery charge. But if they gave them the correct registration then it's the new ownders fault if there's a problem. Buyers beware and make sure what you are looking for is exactly what it is. And if something sounds to good to be true it probably is. Ferraris and other exotics are bought due to the way they look for the most part and not for what mechanicals they have. So if someone wants a ferrari and can't buy one for 200 grand then they should be able to buy a kit car.
Frank, Troy, Michigan
"even the smallest parts of Ferraris and other cars are patented."
Really? Well, the car's light bulbs are quite small parts. Are they patented?
Regjstra Karamna, Luton,