Buying a Ferrari Knock-Off in Italy

When I was a child I was enamored with Ferraris and convinced that someday I would own one.   Keep in mind that this was the mid-eighties, so Miami Vice was the show to watch, and never has there been a better advertisement for Ferrari.  

But there was a dirty little secret about the Miami Vice Ferraris, they were mostly fake.   When Michael Mann was deciding on the car his main character would drive, he knew it had to be exotic, fast, and sexy.   Originally he was going with the old Jaguar XKE.   But after spotting a Yellow Ferrari convertible, he decided instead to use the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder.   Obviously a great choice.   The car was exotic, fast and undeniably sexy.   It was also rare.   So rare in fact that if he could find one, especially in Spyder, and he could convince the owner to sell, the price would likely have been hovering around the $1 million dollar mark.   And of course he would need at least 4 cars for all the shots needed for the show.

This is where a guy named McBurnie steps in.   An expert auto body craftsman who was able to create the general look of the 365 Spyder from the chassis of a much less rare vehicle, the Corvette.   That is how Sonny Crockett got a car that would make even Michael Knight jealous.

After a few seasons of what became the most popular show on television, Ferrari was not very happy about the millions of people tuning in to watch a replica of their work.   So a deal was made; Ferrari would provide two of their brand new flagship models, the Testarossa, in exchange for the show ditching the Daytona replica.   The Miami Vice producers jumped at the offer and even provided Ferrari with what they truly wanted to see, the blew up the Daytona knock-off on the show.   Mann ordered 2 black Testarossa’s, but then quickly changed his mind and decided that white would really stand out a lot more against the Miami neon lights.

But here comes some strange, brutal irony for Ferrari.   The Miami Vice producers, not wanting to cut up one of their beautiful new Testarossa’s, decided to have a couple knock-offs built.   They worked with a company called Roberts Motor Group of Tennessee to create these new replicas.   And of course just like McBurnie had his hands full with orders for Daytona replicas, Roberts Motor Group started taking orders for Testarossa replicas.

A concurrent event that helped propel the popularity of exotic car replicas was the introduction of the Pontiac Fiero.   This little two seater featured a mid-engine design, like most Ferrari and Lamborghini’s, and body panels that were meant to be easily removed and replaced.   Pontiac dealers themselves even released a special edition Fiero called the Mera, which matched the look of a Ferrari 308 so closely that you half expected Tom Selleck to drive it away.

Roberts Motor Group based the original Testarossa knock-off on an old Pantera, but since these are collectors items themselves, it made more sense to move to using the Fiero chassis.   Suddenly there was wave of exotic replicas available.   The ‘kit car’ industry had to this point been mostly about weekend mechanics tinkering in the garage for months to make an old-style roadster.   But now this industry was more about buying turnkey replicas of $100k + cars for around $30k – $40k.   The Ferrari Testarossa, and even the Ferrari 328 were popular models to replicate, but they were rare compared to the demand of Fiero-based replicas of the Lamborghini Countach, and later the Diablo.

Did people mind that they would pay a good amount of money for a car that looked like a ultra high-priced exotic car, but really had the less than legendary engineering of a Fiero?   Keep this interesting fact in mind; at the height of this industry Chrysler, who had recently acquired the legendary automaker Maserati, came out with the Chrysler TC Maserati.   This was, according to Chrysler, a Maserati engineered vehicle in the body of a Chrysler LeBaron.   It of course carried a price tag closer to the Maserati, and sales were less than brisk.   It turns out that people would rather have a car that looks like a Ferrari and runs like a Pontiac, than a car that looks like a Chrysler and runs like a Maserati.   Style over substance…not a big surprise.

There was even a movie where the story centers around a small-town boy going to Dallas to pick up his Lamborghini Countach replica.

As someone who loved Ferraris, but was 15 and without a lot of prospects of affording one in the near future, the idea of a Ferrari replica held a lot of interest for me.   I studied the different makers, ordering brochures and asking about to-the-inch details.   The problem was that I lived in Orange County.   The typical buyer of these models in Wisconsin or Alabama wouldn’t likely see a real Testarossa around, but I saw them daily.   It was highly likely that as the owner of one of these cars I would be occasionally parked near a real one.

In the end, few were spot on.   And the amount of work it would take to get one exact would end up costing about 80% of the price of a real model.   When I turned 16, talked my way into the leasing of a Porsche 928.   In Orange County this is the equivalent of being in a Yellow Cab in New York.   But my probity was intact, and it was still a lot of fun to drive.

But I have to admit that my interest in the replica idea has never fully disappeared.   I couldn’t help but think there were better ways to make these cars.   For example, if you take a look at the Fiat X19 compared to a Ferrari 308, there are remarkably similarities where it matters, the frame and wheelbase.   Even the interior is lot closer to a Ferrari than the Fiero.   To modify the interior of a Fiero to match the interior of a Ferrari would require all sorts of recherche instruments and parts.   But the Fiat, likely because they own Ferrari, has remarkably similar parts.   Well it looks like I wasn’t alone in my observations.   A rather big story has just broke from Italy of mechanics making their own Ferrari from used parts, sometimes Ferrari but more often other like Fiat.

According to the Italian police, these were “very able” craftsmen.   These cars were selling for an average price of $30k, and from the looks of the picture were mostly replicas of the Ferrari 360 Modena, which even used often runs around $200k .   Sadly it appears that even the Italians were often using Fiero’s for the base of these cars, but they do appear to have made a lot more modifications than the Americans.

There has also been some news about the Chinese, who enjoy knocking-off anything of value (Rolex watches, Gucci handbags, iPods, etc…) are starting to produce Ferrari replicas.   Judging from the cheap quality of Rolex replicas I spotted while in Hong Kong, I’m not sure I would be comfortable driving one of their cars.   But it does appear that the exotic car replica market is coming back on an international level.

How I find these developments interesting, I doubt I’ll be shopping for one of these cars.   I’m a bit older now, and my priorities have changed a bit.   I have driven a few Ferraris, and I have to say that they drive as incredible as they look.   And I still get a little emotional when I see a picture of the Ferrari I wanted even before they made it, the 456 GT Spyder, only 2 of which were made for the Sultan of Brunei (by the way, I would consider it the ultimate act of kindness if the Sultan was to give one to me).   But if I were to go crazy on the price of a car, it would more likely be the Tesla Roadster because it appeals to my environmental and gadget loving side.

I guess I’m beyond the style over substance stage of my life in many ways.   I like to think it’s because I have become a more substantive person, but it could also stem from my declining sense of style. For now I’ll be sticking with my small, American made SUV that has leather and gets pretty good gas mileage.   Although I should mention that I purchased a pricey aftermarket sound system that helps remind me that I’m not old yet.