There’s a saying that goes, “fake it till you make it” but what they didn’t mention was “don’t get caught doing it”.
A father and son-operated workshop in Brazil recently landed in hot soup when police raided their premise and found various exotic vehicles, including the Lamborghini Huracan, in various stages of completion.
These fake exotics were being built with engines from Mitsubishi, Alfa Romeo and Chevrolet and sold at a fraction of the original prices, ranging from USD47,000 (RM193k) to USD66,000 (RM271k).
Apparently, the quality of work and the finer details are highly dependent on how much clients can pay.
The cars were registered as prototypes but it’s illegal to register homemade prototypes with a registered car logo. Both father and son would be charged for intellectual property offences as the law of industry property prohibits the use of industrial designs and logos.
The replica workshop, believed to be the biggest in Brazil, was reportedly under investigation for some time after complaints from dissatisfied customers on the poor interior finishing.
When contacted, Lamborghini’s spokesperson said that the biggest risk posed by these cars, aside from intellectual property infringement, is that they posed serious safety risks with a lack of basic safety features.
The workshop owners, on the other hand, said they are still open for business and will remain committed to finish what they started.
Credit: PolÃcia Civil de Santa Catarina
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