In Spain, a police force made up of several units has taken action against a small company that built replicas of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. They arrested 3 men, closed the shop and will now destroy the cars that have not yet been sold.
Raid on fake supercars
It is not prohibited to build and sell replica cars in the EU. Nor should there have been any secrecy around the business at the small industrial area outside Sils, south of Girona. A reader's post in the local online newspaper says that people have been welcome to see the production from the inside. As the donnings were completed, they were posted online - as replicas - nothing else. There is actually a popular market for replicas, like this one.
The fight against piracy
This case actually began in Benidorm, where the police received a report of a Ferrari replica - a replica that was so well made that it could be mistaken for an original. It had authentic details, such as instrument dials, decals and logos. The car was traced to the skilled replica builders in Sils. Should a replica be for like the original, the police are forced to react. In the EU, all piracy is severely cracked down on. Many a shop owner with fake Louis-Vuitton bags and Rolex watches in the back room has experienced the.
The police's own video clips show various donor cars, including the Toyota Celica, Peugeot RCZ or 406 coupé, Ford Probe and Pontiac Fiero. It is far from any standard replica kit that is used, - here the cars are shaped in an almost artistic way. The police's discovery of pre-printed emblems, logos, instrument backgrounds and leather details are decisive evidence in the allegation of piracy.
The price tag on finished cars is over €40. You don't get that much Ferrari for that, not even in Spain - but the sum still amounted to a decent car.
How cool is that?
The engine - which is supposed to be V8 or V12, is just fake - like a backdrop. The proper engine is installed in front of. We see, among other things, a 1,8 liter Toyota VVT-i engine, a Ford Duratec 2,5 V6 and a 2 liter Peugeot engine – transverse engines driving the front wheels. The Toyota Celica, Ford Probe and Peugeot 406 Coupe are decent cars to drive, but of course provide a completely different driving experience than the Italian dons with mid-mounted engines.
The replicas to be in any case, surprisingly real looking, and they is heard actually looks like a Ferrari. Sufficient to enjoy the admiring glances of the public. Then it may not help that the driving experience is not quite as it should be.
- Would you let yourself be deceived?
Watch the police video from the "scene".
See
When it comes to culture, it is impossible to avoid Italy. Nor here.
The truly Italian thing about this museum is the Vespa collection. About twenty Vespas from all eras stand gleaming after painstaking renovation where everything is original. Some of the scooters are new. I recognize some from the early seventies. I greet Tom Arheim who I believe is Norway's foremost expert on Vespas in Norway. He owns no less than 14 of the scooters in the room. "These", says Arheim, "are scooters to be renovated", and points to two original, rather shabby bicycles in one corner. He shows me the workshop where a new Vespa is being transformed into a piece of jewelry.
Received Vespas awaiting refurbishment for the winter.
Norway's oldest Vespa, a 125 ccm from 1958.
Beautiful and very Italian. Dino 308 GT4.
Ferrari 308 GTB (photo edited).
1991 Honda NSX - one of the world's most beautiful cars on its way to becoming a classic (the photo has been edited).
Among the snores I found this gorgeous Lotus model car.
Tempo nostalgia, here Tempolett from my childhood.
This is how you learned the traffic signs in the good old days 🙂
