Man building his $1.7M Ferrari F12 with $15,000 Alibaba parts quickly realizes an error and says 'if you buy cheap, you buy twice'
Published on Jul 26, 2026 at 2:04 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jul 26, 2026 at 2:04 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
One man is working on quite the ambitious project – building a $1.7 million Ferrari F12 using $15,000 Alibaba parts.
But when you’re tackling something of this magnitude, there’s bound to be a few mistakes along the way.
That’s what happened here, when the creator quickly realized an error.
How badly would this affect the progress of his Ferrari F12?
Why he bought parts from Alibaba
Alibaba has built quite the reputation for its eclectic offerings.
From Range Rovers to Bugattis and mini excavators, there’s no shortage of bargains to be found on there.
For YouTuber OG Schaefchen, the website has proved to be a valuable ally in building up a Ferrari F12.
He had nothing but praises for the F12.
“No matter from which angle you look at it, it always looks absolutely stunning,” he declared.
“In my opinion, this might actually be one of the most beautiful cars ever to be made.”
The reason he had to turn to Alibaba was because he accidentally broke the front bumper and aluminum splitter while driving in the snow.
He opted to find a full F12 TDF replica body kit on Alibaba for $15,000.
Two and a half months later, the shipment finally arrived.
Inside the box was dozens of kit components, from a hood to bumpers and fenders.
The craftmanship was debatable, as was the material quality.
But he decided it was best to get on with the job at hand.
One mistake presented itself in this Ferrari F12 build
They stripped the original bumper, which was no small feat as it required disconnecting complex wiring, sensors, and brake-cooling ducts.
The new front bumper fit on after some manual adjustments, but the panel alignment remained less than ideal.
The severe misalignment issues were yet to come, and they came with a fury.
The carbon fiber hood didn’t fit at all, creating huge panel gaps.
And while the rear bumper fit relatively well, the team quickly realized that the kit itself was around 2cm wider than a standard F12.
To get the rear fenders to fit would require permanently cutting into the original body.
As a result, they decided to cancel the project.
They deemed the kit to be a scam, with its materials paper-thin and its hood basically unusable.
“I’m going to be 100% honest with you guys. We absolutely got scammed,” he lamented.
“I paid $15,000 for basically a bunch of plastic, a bunch of rubbish parts that unfortunately, not even with a lot of work, can probably be used to build a nice Ferrari.”
The whole experience left him with some pearls of wisdom to give to his subscribers.
“If you buy cheap, you buy twice,” he said.
Another expression that would apply here is ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’.
Key Features: Ferrari F12
Powertrain: 6.3-liter V12, capable of 730hp
Top Speed: 211mph
0–62 mph: 2.9 seconds
Drive Modes: Wet, Sport, Race, CT Off, ESC Off
Ben joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025 after being published by international organizations including LADbible, The Sun, the New York Post, and the Daily Mail. He covers supercars, rare and collectible vehicles, aviation, luxury assets, and the fascinating people behind them. His reporting has explored everything from seven-figure supercars and historic Ferrari collections to unusual aircraft adventures and extraordinary automotive discoveries from around the world. Ben has also gained first-hand insight into vehicle craftsmanship and customization, including visiting specialist workshops to see bespoke vehicles up close.
