Italian police broke up a Ferrari counterfeiting business earlier this year, confiscating 22 cars, 14 of which had already been sold to luxury sportscar collectors. The fake Ferraris seized in Italy were used Pontiac Fieros which had been altered to pass for Ferrari Testarossas. The counterfeit industry has grown 1,000 percent in Europe between 1998 and 2004 according to EU Customs and spans beyond designer handbags, shoes, watches, and clothes. Before purchasing a luxury car, do you homework so you can distinguish a real Ferrari from a fake.
1) Who is selling the Ferrari? Do a little homework on who the seller is. Are they an authorized Ferrari dealer? If it is pre-owned, where did it come from? Check out the owner documents, service records, and paperwork. Most fake Ferraris are sold as pre-owned classic models from the 1960s-1980s.
2) Do not be fooled by the exterior. Most Ferrari fakes look the same from a distance- the same tail lights, the same fenders, also the exhaust is the same.
3) The interior of fake Ferraris lack the same quality of real Ferraris. Never buy a car without personally inspecting the car or having a knowledgeable expert inspect it for you. Look under the hood, fake Ferraris will have a different engine, frame, suspension, chassis, roof, hood, trunk, doors, and brakes. If you are not familiar with the famous Ferrari engine, stop by your local Ferrari dealership and become familiar with its features or go to Ferraris official website at www.FerrariUSA.com to locate your nearest authorized dealer.
4) Lastly, if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No one in their right mind is going to be selling a $ 300,000 car for $ 30,000. Everyone loves finding that hidden bargain and feeling like you have just hit the jackpot of all car deals, but do not let your emotions get the best of you. There are a lot of great deals on real luxury cars out there, you just need to shop around and be smart.
While the popularity of replica classic cars resides outside of the United States, it is sure to make its debut here soon with our social acceptance of owning counterfeit goods. This once taboo industry has become a booming global business. Pur Sang, an Argentine company, specializes in building Bugatti Type 37, 35, 43 and 51 replicas that can hardly be distinguished from the real thing. They are sold as replicas but some buyers obviously have no problem adding the Bugatti badge and declaring it to be an original.