Fake Ferraris Busted by Italian Tax Police

The Italian Tax Police or as they call it in Italy, the “Guardia di Finanza”, raided a series of auto-body shops that where building fake Ferraris across the country. Most of you would probably call these vehicles kit cars or replicas, but according to the law in Italy and elsewhere, they are considered as counterfeits.

According to reports, the auto-body shops operated in a dozen cities from near the Alps in the north to Sicily in the south. The Italian Tax police managed to round up seven completed fake Ferraris, as well as another seven unfinished projects. Most of the replicas where based on the mid-engined Pontiac Fiero. A total of eight people were placed under investigation, but no arrests were made. –Continued after the jump

Harley Lewin, a partner with New York law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, who specializes in counterfeit issues but wasn’t involved in this case, told WSJ that even a handful of counterfeit Ferraris could harm the company's image. "It starts to taint the brand," he said. "It becomes a big deal; all of the sudden legitimate products start to lose their color, their appeal. The fake cheapen and diminish the real thing."

Via: Windingroad , Source: WSJ