Virginia YouTuber buys $5M Bugatti for $30K from Alibaba and what arrives looks cheaper than the packaging
Published on Aug 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Callum Tokody
Last updated on Aug 26, 2025 at 12:20 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A YouTuber thought he had snagged himself a bargain when he bought a cheap Bugatti replica from an Alibaba car listing, but what arrived was nothing short of a scam.
The online description mentioned high horsepower figures and claimed the vehicle had been ‘politely used’.
After four months of waiting, a large crate finally turned up at his doorstep.
The unboxing seemed to promise a major reveal, but what it revealed was closer to a hoax than a hypercar.
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Cheap Bugatti unboxing goes wrong
The whole unboxing experience was documented on youtube by Carter Sharer via YouTube
Bugattis are some of the most expensive, beautiful and powerful cars in the world, with certain models going for more than $5 million.
Even damaged examples have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
That context made the $30,000 Alibaba car listing hard to believe, but the YouTuber went ahead with the purchase.
When the shipment arrived, the crate appeared to hold a full-size supercar.
The documents listed 1,580 horsepower, zero miles, and light prior use.
The outline of a cheap Bugatti was visible through the wrapping, painted red and marked with Bugatti logos.
Once the protective covering was removed, the reality became a lot clearer.
The signature grille was a sticker.
The wheels looked like props.
Beneath the shell, the body was hollow and made from foam.
The delivery was an incredibly cheaply made Bugatti replica rather than a working car.
Fake supercars and Alibaba cars
Cheap listings for luxury models regularly circulate online, and here at Supercar Blondie, we decided to compare some of them with their genuine counterparts.
The Supercar Blondie team put a $3,000 fake Chinese Lexus through a cone-slalom handling course against a real Lexus LX600.
It performed better than expected, but the differences soon became obvious.
Supercar Blondie has also put other Alibaba cars up against their authentic counterparts.
A $3,500 Dodge Ram and a $4,000 Land Rover replica were drag raced, showing just how far apart knock-offs and originals are when it comes to performance and build quality.
These vehicles might look convincing from a distance, but close inspection of materials, weight, and handling exposes the reality.
The same point was made when we took a fake Rolls-Royce Cullinan to a luxury hotel.
It fooled a few valets at first glance, but scrutiny revealed the truth. Replicas can imitate the look of a premium brand, but they struggle to hold up under closer attention.
Against those comparisons, the $30,000 Alibaba car in this story was far less advanced.
The cheap Bugatti was little more than a hollow foam shell with no engine, chassis, or interior.
On paper it promised a hypercar, but in practice it showed just how wide the gap remains between replicas and true supercars.
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Callum Tokody is a content writer at Supercar Blondie, where he covers the latest in the automotive world with a focus on design and performance. Callum has a background in automotive journalism and has contributed to a range of publications in Australia and the UK. Outside of work, he’s a design enthusiast with a soft spot for anything with a V8 and a good story.
