The overwhelming view at PH is that making replicas of Ferraris is a crime against taste, but in Spain it's a crime full stop.
Police there have raided two garages near Valencia and arrested eight people for converting and selling the cars and seized 17 fake Ferraris and two replica Astons.
Anyone for a 130hp 'Focus RS'?
A police statement said: "The supposed deluxe cars were advertised on two websites for about 40,000 euros (£35,000), compared to the more than 200,000 euros that an authentic model would cost on the legal market."
But here's the thing. From the pictures they mainly look like F430 and F430 Spiders. You surely know you're getting a replica if you're paying that money for one, if even you can't tell from looking at it (hard to believe). The police even agreed, saying the customers knew they weren't buying a real Ferrari.
Much as we scoff at the creation of pastiche supercars, we in the office here have a sneaking respect for what's actually a time honoured tradition, as a visit to our classifieds suggests.
Among the established replicas of AC Cobras and Porsche 356s, you can find such exotica as a fake Vipercomplete with Corvette engine ("not to be mistaken for replicas with a 2.9 Granada engine", the ad makes clear).
Or perhaps a (diesel) CLK Black?
Mercedes CLK Black Series
replica that bizarrely is based on a 270 CDI diesel. Or how about a very
nice Dino replica
with a 3.0 V6 Alfa Romeo engine? There's an almost believable Toyota MR2-based
Lamborghini Murcielago
And of course there's the obligatory Ferrari 360 Spider homage, also based on an MR2 and yours for £21,000. If the budget is really stretched there's even a Focus RS replica with a boggo 2.0 petrol on board.
But such is the gulf between these cars and those they're trying to ape that surely no one thinks they'll damage sales of the originals. If the Spanish police were acting on complaints from Ferrari itself, presumable citing EU legislation against forgery, then we actually feel a bit sad.
We'd even be impressed if those two Astons looked good (we couldn't find a pic of them). The marque hasn't often been targeted by replica makers, save for this valiant attempt based on a Vauxhall Calibra.