Brazilian workshop busted by cops for selling convincing supercar fakes

Cops in Brazil busted a garage that was churning out counterfeit supercars, such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris. 

The audacious fakes were created at the garage using legit-looking badges, seats, and bodywork, before being sold on Instagram for a fraction of the cost of the real deal. 

Police in Brazil said the cars were sold for between $47,000 and $66,000, while a genuine version would set you back around $400,000-$800,000.

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The fakes were fitted with engines from Chevys and Mitsubishi

Images shared by the Civil Police of Santa Catalina showed that the illegal workshop, based in Itajaí, had gone to great lengths to ensure the cars looked the part. 

However, while the bodywork might look spot on, the fake supercars were fitted with engines from cars including a Mitsubishi Eclipse, an Alfa Romeo, and a Chevrolet Omega. 

“The motors were much less powerful,” Detective Angelo Fragelli told the Guardian in 2019.

“The finishing depended on what the client could pay.”

During the raid, police found eight vehicles in various states of completion, as well as badges, seats, and other parts. 

“Some were half ready, some were just being started,” Fragelli added. 

The people behind the fake supercars attempted to sell them online

The police were alerted to the bogus workshop by a local lawyer who spotted the adverts online. 

Police stressed that while the cars may look similar, they really cannot compare with the originals. 

“The cars are low-quality. Even though they use good quality material, their interior finishing is not the same as the originals.”

Lamborghini told the Guardian at the time it had no plans to pursue legal action against the owners of the workshop but warned that knock-offs could pose a risk to the general public as they lacked ‘basic safety features’.

One of the workshop owners attempted to defend the company saying that it simply created ‘artisanal cars’ and that it worked within Brazilian law. 

The lawyer who initially tipped cops off to the warehouse disputed this, saying ‘the law of industry property prohibits the use of industrial designs and logos’.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a large-scale illegal car operation. 

Last year, police in Essex in the UK, uncovered a a $1.3 million supercar ‘chop shop’, which was packed with top-of-the-range stolen vehicles, including Ferraris and Bentleys.