"Fake" Ferrari ring busted | FerrariChat

"Fake" Ferrari ring busted

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Kaivball, Feb 27, 2008.

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  1. Kaivball

    Kaivball Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #1 Kaivball, Feb 27, 2008
    http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120415357135797887-028E3EAihp_Rr_YrDQlk_WymvkM_20090227.html?mod=rss_free

    Italian Tax Police Bust Up
    Fake-Ferrari Ring
    Auto-Body Shops
    Built Counterfeits
    Using Pontiac Fieros
    By ROSAMARIA MANCINI
    February 28, 2008

    It was the ultimate face-lift: a sporty red Ferrari F355 on the outside, a used Pontiac Fiero on the inside.

    That was enough, apparently, to entice wannabe Ferrari owners to plunk down €20,000, or about $30,000, for the chance to own an approximation of the real thing.

    Yesterday, Italian tax police, the Guardia di Finanza, busted up a ring of auto-body shops across the country that were trafficking in one of the most high-end and high-priced counterfeit cars of all time.


    See photos of some fake Ferraris.
    The ring operated in a dozen cities from near the Alps in the north to Sicily in the south. Tax police rounded up seven completed fake Ferraris, as well as another seven that were still being decked out. Some of the counterfeit cars had already been sold. They also seized numerous spare parts, some of which were genuine Ferrari. Eight people were placed under investigation, but no arrests were made.

    The head of the Palermo unit of the tax police, Guido Mario Geremia, who spearheaded the investigation, said it involved "a sophisticated operation that was running throughout Italy."

    The global counterfeit industry has been one of the world's most inventive, churning out knockoff copies not just of Channel handbags and Gucci sunglasses, but also of products ranging from high-end wines to pharmaceuticals, telecommunications equipment and videogames.

    Even by those standards, copying a Ferrari seems particularly brazen. The company makes about 6,000 cars a year, and waiting lists for new models can run years. Most cost more than $200,000, but prices can soar far beyond that depending on the level of customization. The company boasts that its engineering -- much of which it also uses on its championship Formula One racing team -- is second to none.

    So who would dare buy a fake? "There are people who buy fake Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags, so it's not so strange that someone would buy a fake Ferrari," said Mr. Geremia.

    Mr. Geremia said he began working on the case six months ago based on a tip. He was able to trace the different cars and fake parts to cities throughout Italy, where specialized auto-body shops would strip down the body of the old Fiero, including its bumpers, hood and rear, and then mount parts to build the fake Ferrari.

    Once assembled, the fake Ferraris looked pretty close to the real things. At least when standing still. The Pontiac Fiero, whose production cycle spanned the second half of the 1980s, was considered a peppy, if not so dependable, two-seater. Still, its V4 engine is no match for the V8 under the hood of the F355, which boasts a top speed of 183 miles per hour.

    In a few cases, Mercedes and Porsches were used as the underlying cars instead of Pontiacs.

    Ferrari SpA, a unit of Fiat SpA, had no comment on the investigation. Spokeswoman Mariella Mengozzi said the company works side by side with authorities in Italy and abroad on these types of investigations.

    Last year, fake Ferraris were nabbed by the tax police in Sardinia and Rome. In 2006, the European Commissioner for Justice, Franco Frattini, protested publicly that fake Ferraris were popping up in China.

    The ring uncovered yesterday included salesmen who promoted what they said were "replica" Ferraris over several Internet sites. They also operated showrooms where the cars were displayed. Others provided parts, from headlights to steering wheels.

    The latest figures from the World Customs Organization show that all types of counterfeits result in about $500 billion to $600 billion in lost sales annually, which is about 5% of global trade.

    Harley Lewin, a partner with New York law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, who specializes in counterfeit issues and isn't involved in the Ferrari case, said that even a few fake Ferraris on the road could harm the company's image. "It starts to taint the brand," he said. "It becomes a big deal; all of the sudden legitimate products start to lose their color, their appeal. The fake cheapen and diminish the real thing."

    Write to Rosamaria Mancini at [email protected]
     
  2. blainewest

    blainewest Formula Junior

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    #2 blainewest, Feb 27, 2008
    I don't agree that the fakes "cheapen and diminish" the real thing any more than cubic zirconia cheapens and dimishes diamonds...c'mon get serious. People paying 30K for a kit car don't have any impact on the marketability of a Ferrari....or maybe they do which may explain why Ferrari has so much trouble selling it's inventory.
     
  3. VisualHomage

    VisualHomage F1 Veteran

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    #3 VisualHomage, Feb 28, 2008
    The whole bust and drama is a bit melodramatic. Yes? Replicars have been made for years. How are busting people using Fieros some big deal worthy of news or effort? They're not Ferraris nor stolen Ferraris. And they're not even using Ferrari running gear. They're pretty shells of cars on dated Pontiac frames and engines.

    Anyone else thinking this is sort of mega-sting/raid is a bit overly stated and ridiculous? "Tainting the image" of Ferrari? You can't be serious.
     
  4. ferrariredered

    ferrariredered Karting

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    #4 ferrariredered, Feb 28, 2008
    That Ferrari they showed was not a fake 355, the Ferrari was a fake 328.
     
  5. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #5 P4Replica, Feb 28, 2008
    This is hardly 'news'. :rolleyes:
    The story goes back to July last year (2007) when Ferrari had a number of Fiero-based 355s and other Ferrari replicas siezed in Italy.

    See this thread in the 'Cars, Motorcycles Boats & Planes' section: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=169921

    Fortunately, they just missed the P4 replica which was the initial subject of the thread. The '355' replica owners weren't so lucky. :(
     
  6. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #6 P4Replica, Feb 28, 2008
    See above. ;)
    The Franco Frattini public protest was exposed (by yours truly) as yet another laughable case of an Italian politician 'grandstanding'.

    See this post (on page 3 of the relevant thread): http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=135783091&postcount=45

    That photo of an allegedly 'Chinese-made' P4 replica which he waved about, at the EU conference in Brussels, was of a British-built Noble P4 replica, photographed at a location in England. I guess Frattini assumed no-one would dare ask for a closer look at the photo. Wrong !! :D
     
  7. Fred2

    Fred2 F1 World Champ
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    #7 Fred2, Feb 28, 2008
    I wonder what percentage of the total fakes come from China?
    Would this have anything to do with their complete disregarded for intellectual property rights?
     
  8. MacGeek

    MacGeek Formula Junior

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    #8 MacGeek, Feb 28, 2008
    Maybe he just wanted to bump up his name in the waiting list :D

    Seriously, this is borderline paranoid. It's not like they were trying to pass them off as real Ferraris (and probably, not many people would be fooled). They're probably making a big fuss because there are Ferrari badges on them; it'd be interesting to see if they care about unbadged replicas.

    I mean. Yes, those "Fierraris" are tacky and all. But a danger to Ferrari? Come on.
     
  9. Sega355

    Sega355 Formula Junior

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    #9 Sega355, Feb 28, 2008
    There has never been any Made in China fake Ferrari. European Commissioner for Justice apologized for accused China for that replica Ferrari after found out it was actually made in Thailand.

    As of this moment. China does not have existing donor cars or engine that can build a fake Ferrari. No Fiero, no Corvette, no MR2..available there. But they have 88-92 toyota 4runner chassis that they can make 95% lookalike BMW X5, 95% lookalike Honda CRV....
     
  10. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #10 P4Replica, Feb 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Then Frattini should also issue an apology to Thailand ! :D

    There have been no Ferrari P4 replicas built in Thailand - other than the Sony I-C-E demonstrator Foreman P4 ....
    .... which was ordered from NF Autos, in the UK - in kit form, and built up by Sony's development lab in Bangkok.

    Trust me on this. ;)

    See photo below, and this thread (car is now in New Zealand): http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91811

    I repeat - the photo Franco Frattini was waving about at the EU 'Intellectual Property' conference in Brussels ....
    .... was of a British-built Noble P4 replica taken in England - at least 10 years ago, too ! :rolleyes:
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  11. Sega355

    Sega355 Formula Junior

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    #11 Sega355, Feb 28, 2008
    to oridinary people, most can't even recognize it is a ferrari. I remember a few kit cars during the 70's have the same shape.
     
  12. Tony K

    Tony K Formula 3

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    #12 Tony K, Feb 28, 2008
    Who paid the WSJ to write that piece of garbage of an article?
     
  13. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #13 P4Replica, Feb 28, 2008
    My thoughts, exactly ! :) Like I wrote before - it's not exactly 'news'. :rolleyes:
     
  14. Fred2

    Fred2 F1 World Champ
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    #14 Fred2, Feb 28, 2008
    Be patient, it will happen.
    Right now the Chinese are producing fake Software, DVD's, designer handbags, Rolex watches, Brembo brakes, etc.

    It is not a stretch to see complete cars copied.
     
  15. Sega355

    Sega355 Formula Junior

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    #15 Sega355, Feb 28, 2008
    The copied softwares, DVD, games are easy to do. Not just Chinese. Even I can do that with my laptop computer.

    But the Chinese know how to play this game well. They don't make "exact" copy of the handbags, watches. That goes the same for the fake BMW X5 and Honda CRV. BMW and Honda sued the manufacturers. But the court found them not guilty as their cars are not copy of BMW X5 and Honda CRV.

    Last month I was in China, I saw a fake Smart by2.
     
  16. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

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    #16 mk e, Feb 28, 2008
    Already done.

    I forget the model, but GM was building a cheap Asia market car in Korea and selling in china...then they noticed sales just start dropping. Upon investigation they found the car had been cloned...and also found that the clone met all the GM specifications (which IMO means they had drawings to work from). anyway, GM signed a deal with the Chinese factory and the GM car is now made in china.
     
  17. Sega355

    Sega355 Formula Junior

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    #17 Sega355, Feb 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    This one? Chery QQ

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chery_QQ
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  18. jk0001

    jk0001 F1 Veteran

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    #18 jk0001, Feb 28, 2008
  19. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #19 P4Replica, Feb 28, 2008
    It just amazes me that even the BBC are so short of real news items that they are also carrying this cr*p ! :mad:

    Will a mod please merge this with the existing WSG thread started earlier today:

    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187683

    Thanks !! :)
     
  20. Bradley

    Bradley F1 Rookie

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    #20 Bradley, Feb 28, 2008
    That fake "328 GTB" looks tacky as he11. The proportions are all wrong, the door handles, gas door, and rear window vent are wrong. . .If this was intended to fool anyone, they did a lousy job of it.

    No Pontiac Fiero is worth $30k, no matter what's been done to the body. And what's the point, anyway, when a decent genuine 308 or 328 can be had for little more?

    The article was blown way out of proportion; anyone who knows anything at all about Ferraris knows that there have been all sorts of kit cars and replicas.

    What offends me about them is not that they fool anyone (they don't), but that they all look so bad. If you're going to "re-body" a car, why not do something original. It's still a Fiero underneath, though, and that's a pretty crummy car.
     
  21. Jackmb1

    Jackmb1 F1 Rookie

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    #21 Jackmb1, Feb 28, 2008
    That would not surprise me, they copy everything else.
     
  22. furious_ferrari

    furious_ferrari F1 Rookie

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    #22 furious_ferrari, Feb 28, 2008
    No Fiero ran a "V4" hahaha
     
  23. Artvonne

    Artvonne F1 Veteran

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    #23 Artvonne, Feb 28, 2008
    I would call a fiero 355 a replicar, not a counterfeit. If someone is so stupid they cant tell the difference between driving a Fiero and a 355, they deserve the damned thing. But to call it a counterfeit is as if to say the Ferrari is Fiero like, not vice versa. You cant make a silk purse from a pigs ear, and you cant make a Fiero into a Ferrari no matter how hard you try. Bad move IMHO.
     
  24. jelpspeed

    jelpspeed Formula Junior

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    #24 jelpspeed, Feb 28, 2008
  25. P4Replica

    P4Replica Formula 3

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    #25 P4Replica, Feb 29, 2008
    It says: 'based on Peugeot 406 Coupe' in the opening frame. :rolleyes:
     
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