California man comes across $40,000 fake Chinese Maybach that's so good it fools everyone, even us
- A fake Chinese Maybach was found by a Californian YouTuber
- The luxury car was spotted when he visited Shanghai
- Two fakes were found, with one more convincing than the other
Published on May 29, 2025 at 7:57 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on May 30, 2025 at 4:47 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
An American YouTuber from California came across a $40,000 fake Chinese Mercedes-Benz Maybach that fooled everyone, including us!
YouTuber effspot posted the video of the car in March 2024, while he was visiting Shanghai.
China is not afraid of creating things that recreate or copy other cars and vehicles from around the world, hence this interesting replica.
The video actually included two fakes. One was in a parking lot, but the most convincing of the two, which cost just $40,000, was on display in a showroom.
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The first Maybach replica was found in a Chinese underground parking lot.
While it has a Maybach badge on it, this particular car isn’t a Maybach in any way.
As effspot says, it is, in reality, a two-tone Mercedes-Benz E-Class L complete with the Maybach badge and grille.
Around the back, effspot mentioned how the standard E-Class has two windows, but the Maybach has three.
The E-Class L, however, comes with a long wheelbase, so it also has three windows, which adds to the illusion.
Whoever owns the car has even gone to the lengths of adding a pinstripe to the side of the Mercedes.
Even more amazing is that they’ve added the correct interior package to the car as well.
The inclusion of the interior further adds to the illusion that this is a real Maybach, but it’s not.
Looking at the front does slightly give it away that it’s not a genuine product.
The proportions are slightly off compared to the real luxury sedan, something that the YouTuber himself commented on.
But this isn’t the only copy that the YouTuber came across on his travels.
Later in the video, we got to see what looked like a Mercedes-Maybach SUV, from both the exterior and interior.
Yet as effspot revealed, this is also a fake, and in fact, it’s a Mercedes SUV sporting a Maybach replica kit.
You even get the fridge and pillows that you’d expect to find in a real one.
This is an even more convincing replica than the earlier car, and it’s much harder to tell it apart from the real car.
It’s amazing how convincing both are, and at first glance, you wouldn’t think they were fakes.
But it shows the lengths some people will go to to create the illusion.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
