Spanish police have raided a factory that makes fake Ferraris using bits of old Toyotas, Peugeots and Fords and sells them online.
The Ferrari counterfeiters operate out of a ‘sweatshop’ style premises in Catalonia and flog their wannabe supercars for around £35,000.
We’ve all seen fake Ferrari F355s created out of badly modified Toyota MR2s - but the firm also uses old Peugeot 406s (presumably the attractive-but-cheap coupe model), as well as Ford Cougars.
When cops raided the premises, they found 14 cars on the production line, ranging from a fake Ferrari 348 to a Ferrari 430 - as well as a bogus Lamborghini. While they all featured custom look-alike bodywork, engines ranged from 2.0 to 2.5-litres.
The investigation is thought to have been triggered when police in Benidorm stopped a vehicle that appeared to look like a Ferrari, infringing the industrial property right of the famous Italian brand.
We doubt any customers were genuinely fooled by the scam - but we wouldn’t be surprised if the boys in Maranello put pressure on police to close down the factory.
A badly translated police statement said: “The operation has arrested three people who transformed mid-range cars into ‘super-sports’ that they later sold through second-hand Internet portals.
“Thanks to the investigation of the agents, it was possible to identify the person who carried out the manufacture of the counterfeit vehicle and its subsequent sale through secondhand sale websites.”
Four of the models in production were already advertised for sale online. Police confiscated various replica Ferrari fibreglass moulds as well as replica body panels and vehicle-related documentation.
As well as the cut-price supercar production line, a 950-pot cannabis farm was also discovered. Next time you’re tempted to buy an MR2-based Ferrari replica, think about what it could be funding...
