Very nice find - perfect to load 4 wild boars and 3 deers. I wish there were more pictures - will it look too much like the FF breadvan? Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using FerrariChat.com mobile app
The owner of this 612 is a thief. Back in 2006 I made a series of sketches of a 612 Shooting Brake and posted them in this forum, among others. A year later I started the company Vandenbrink Design together with Robert Koumans, with the intention of designing and building custom Ferraris. Some of you may remember me from the Vandenbrink GTO based on a 599 GTB. In 2010 I left the company and all the designs I made to Robert Koumans and continued on my own. At some time the owner of this 612 asked Robert if he could convert his car along the lines of my design renderings. Strangely he didn’t want to pay for the design and of course Robert didn’t allow the design to be used without a proper business agreement. I was very unpleasantly surprised (better said, I’m furious) to see this individual had his 612 converted in secret, making use of my design renderings. Why would anyone who can afford to own, drive, maintain and convert a Ferrari need to save a few Euros by not paying for the design he used? I am not expensive. Since I left Vandenbrink Design I no longer own this design and am not entitled to any royalties, but I am very pissed about the common assumption designers do not need to be paid for their ‘simple and quickly made sketches’ and the lack of respect for intellectual property. This is one more example of why I had to decide to stop designing at all. There is a blacklist in the community of freelance designers to warn each other about companies and private individuals who refuse to pay for design work. This individual is now added to the list, for what it’s worth... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
But those were made by Pininfarina, for the Brunei Sultan. Pininfarina sold however a few to other customers.
So what? I was just referring to the concept. It's been done with a few 2+2's. That's the only point I was making.
I only meant they were not made by a "private couch builder" like the mentioned 612 but more or less in series.
Well, I suspect all ends well. I think the owner got his. I wouldn’t want my car to be featured on a website called “Auto Junk”.
If it’s any consolation Michiel, let this forum be a judge of whose design was best: yours versus Autojunk! From the limited angle we can see of the conversion, it’s not a patch on the elegance and class of your design which is breathtaking. I really am sorry you gave up on designing. It’s clearly in your blood and you are obviously extremely talented. I hope you will get back to it some day and be justly rewarded for your efforts and skills.
Michiel, sorry to hear this. While I understand why this might have made sense in 2006, I don't get it at all in 2019 (or 2013 for that matter). Why not buy an FF?
I just learned a company called Classic Youngtimer Consultancy in Uden, The Netherlands, was involved. I don’t know if they own the 612 or did the actual body conversion, but they must have known they were working with a stolen design. I will add them to the blacklist.
Using someone's IP without compensation or even acknowledgement is reprehensible. As a scientist, IP is a very important thing to us. I would be furious if one of our discoveries was abused in this fashion. T
See press release & images on https://www.vandenbrinkdesign.com/current-projects/vandenbrink-shooting-break.
Agreed, but if your new ‘client’ properly hired me instead of just stealing my sketches for his personal gain, the actual car could have looked even better and there undoubtedly would be a much better business deal with more to gain for all of us, including the guy who actually did the design work.
Incidentally, there's one for sale right now - lots of pictures: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/ferrari/612-scaglietti/2005/674286 Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I see a great opportunity here for those who want a Vandenbrink GTO, but do not want to pay the full amount for a proper design- and engineering process. Maybe you already own a Ferrari 599 GTB or get a cheap used one. By now, they are ‘just old Ferraris’ anyway so no warranty issues anymore after hacking up the donor car. The design renderings are already made by some design bloke and the pictures can be downloaded from the internet for free. Why pay for work that has already been done years ago, right? Now bring your car and the printed designs to your local bodyshop and tell the panel beaters to convert your car just like the pictures. I reckon their labour wouldn’t be too expensive, because the job is not very difficult for them. They do this all the time, right? When the car is almost finished and ready for painting, make sure to take some spy shots and post them on any obscure car spotting website. Now just wait for Robert Koumans from Vandenbrink Design to contact you. He will propose some sort of deal to have the car sanctified as a real Vandenbrink project and provide you with the M-logos. You can also choose to stick the prancing horse to as many places as you like, like they did with this 612 SB. No problem! Robert will most likely propose a shared revenue construction in order to sell more copies of your car. Don’t meet his demands immediately, but squeeze him as much as you can. Robert may threaten to sue you over intellectual property theft, but he won’t actually do that for sure, because an interesting precedent has already been set. Yes, if I wanted a Vandenbrink GTO, I would do exactly that. And don’t worry about the guy who spent his valuable talents, skills and knowledge making the initial design years ago. He sold his lovely house, bought a cheaper one and moved on to some much safer office jobs. He will very likely be taking good care to his mildly disabled wife and 3 young children. Enjoy your Vandenbrink Ferrari 599 GTO!
Sad to hear the story. Also, this car arrives too late and some of the sleekness of the original design got lost in translation.
The Sultan of Brunei's 456 looks like a station wagon while the 612 looks like a hearse to me Obviously that's a purely personal view and a matter of individual taste, not any intention to offend.
Hello Michiel, Your design is gorgeous. I am also sorry to hear about your wife's poor health. I wish you the very best on those matters! ** I'm trying to understand this thread. According to above, you left the co-business and you surrendered your designs to said company. If I follow correctly, your former business partner then gave those designs away or perhaps sold them. You feel entitled to some compensation for said designs today. I am thinking I missed something. So look forward to your response. Best wishes.
