How Brazil police tackled a factory making fake Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

Pedro_P

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Father and son accused of offering the cars on social media for less than $70,000 – a fraction of the price of the real things.

A photo released by police shows car molds at the workshop in Itajaí. Photograph: AP
▼ After receiving the tip-off, it did not take investigators long to find what they describedas a “clandestine luxury car factory” manufacturing fake Ferraris and Lamborghinis in the south of Brazil.
The workshop, Autos Fibra, advertised on Instagramand even had a YouTube channel, while disgruntled customers had posted reviews on a local consumer website.
On Monday, police in Itajaí, a seaside city of 215,000 people in Santa Catarina state, raided a garage where they found eight vehicles – two “Ferraris” and six “Lamborghinis” – in various states of completion, the detective Angelo Fragelli told the Guardian. “Some were half ready, some were just being started,” he said.

Emblem badges stamped with the Lamborghini logo, inside the workshop in Itajaí, Brazil. Photograph: AP
Photos and a video released by the police showed the vehicles, along with bonnets and seats with Ferrari and Lamborghini logos.
Luxury sports cars that would cost around £320,000-£640,000 ($400,000-$800,000) if genuine were being sold for £38,000-£53,000 ($47,000-$66,000), police said. But while exteriors looked convincing – at least to an untrained eye – the motors came from other vehicles including a Mitsubishi Eclipse, an Alfa Romeo and a Chevrolet Omega.
“The motors were much less powerful,” Fragelli said. “The finishing depended on what the client could pay.”
No arrests were made, but police said they would charge a 53-year-old man and his son, 29, who were not arrested, for intellectual property offences.
“It is a crime against intellectual property because of the use of the logos and the use of the industrial designs,” Fragelli said.
The cars were documented as “prototypes”, he said. “But there are indications of (▪ ▪ ▪)

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themaskeditor

Interesting news, Brazil seems to be emerging the new copy-master. Thinking of going ahead of India and China.

There could be similar cars available in India as well. People too are crazy they dont apply their mind before buying a £320K car for almost 10 to 20 percent of it's value. Then they complain.

I would be skeptical of buying the top end of iphone offered for 8-10 k

asr335704

This is the first time, I heard about making of fake cars. I am surprised a bit after reading this article.
Fake cars can not even be closer to original cars.  

Rhett_Bassard

Replica or 'kit cars' have been available for 50yrs in 750 models.
The issue only arises when a builder uses a protected logo.
Call me a pinko socialist, but this entrepreneurship does not harm the OEM:
- nobody spending US$60K on a replica would have ever spent $600K on the original
- kit builders know exactly what they're getting into and realize the results are proportional to assembly skill
- each US State has a safety, insurance and registration process to ensure proper builds.