How to Spot a Fake Ferrari

Italian police broke up a Ferrari counterfeiting business earlier this year, confiscating 22 cars, 14 of which had already been sold to luxury sportscar collectors. The fake Ferraris seized in Italy were used Pontiac Fieros which had been altered to pass for Ferrari Testarossas. The counterfeit industry has grown 1,000 percent in Europe between 1998 and 2004 according to EU Customs and spans beyond designer handbags, shoes, watches, and clothes. Before purchasing a luxury car, do you homework so you can distinguish a real Ferrari from a fake.

1) Who is selling the Ferrari? Do a little homework on who the seller is. Are they an authorized Ferrari dealer? If it is pre-owned, where did it come from? Check out the owner documents, service records, and paperwork. Most fake Ferraris are sold as pre-owned classic models from the 1960s-1980s.

2) Do not be fooled by the exterior. Most Ferrari fakes look the same from a distance- the same tail lights, the same fenders, also the exhaust is the same.

3) The interior of fake Ferraris lack the same quality of real Ferraris. Never buy a car without personally inspecting the car or having a knowledgeable expert inspect it for you. Look under the hood, fake Ferraris will have a different engine, frame, suspension, chassis, roof, hood, trunk, doors, and brakes. If you are not familiar with the famous Ferrari engine, stop by your local Ferrari dealership and become familiar with its features or go to Ferraris official website at www.FerrariUSA.com to locate your nearest authorized dealer.

4) Lastly, if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No one in their right mind is going to be selling a $300,000 car for $30,000. Everyone loves finding that hidden bargain and feeling like you have just hit the jackpot of all car deals, but do not let your emotions get the best of you. There are a lot of great deals on real luxury cars out there, you just need to shop around and be smart.

While the popularity of replica classic cars resides outside of the United States, it is sure to make its debut here soon with our social acceptance of owning counterfeit goods. This once taboo industry has become a booming global business. Pur Sang, an Argentine company, specializes in building Bugatti Type 37, 35, 43 and 51 replicas that can hardly be distinguished from the real thing. They are sold as replicas but some buyers obviously have no problem adding the Bugatti badge and declaring it to be an original.

By K. Verity.

Visit the Blog about ferrari phoenix

Ferrari Auto Insurance Quotes

When you are looking you Ferrari insurance quote, it is important to be aware of a couple of points. Firstly, the price you're going to have to pay is going to differ greatly in some cases. Points of difference can be in what state you live, how old you are, and what your track record is. The model of your Ferrari will also be a factor. To give you an example of how important it is to shop around, I will show you very different quotes just by using the same car model. For this case I will be using a Ferrari F430 spider 2005 model.

TD Canada Trust: With this insurance company, the Ferrari insurance quote was $326.29 a month or $3,915 a year. Included in this package are, accident benefits, a liability limit of $1 million, collision coverage ranging in the $2,000 zone and a comprehensive coverage of about $2,000 also. While this price is pretty fare, I must remind you that, you get this price if you have a clean slate, meaning; no minor tickets, no major tickets, no claims, no accidents, no suspended license in previous years. What is also needed for this price is a driver training course, which is acceptable considering you might want to squeeze that pedal a little.

Kanetix: With virtually the same information, the price of an annual premium was $4,452. With less features, and also stingy coverage. A comprehensive coverage of $500 deductible, a deductible of $500 on collision coverage and a liability of $1 million. This coverage has been pretty disappointing except that there is no mention of a training course need, which in some points are good but in most cases is not. But will there be worse? Let's find out.

Allstate: Again with the same information, Allstate gave us some pretty interesting prices. We have been given 3 different premiums to choose from for a six month period. The first is called the Basic premium at $950 which includes, a collision deductible of $500, a comprehensive deductible of $500, a bodily injury caused to others clause of minimum $25,000 up to a maximum of $50,000 and a property damage clause of $20,000, only downside, no medical payment coverage. The second premium is the Enhanced at $1,040, which is a bit better. Collision and comprehensive stay the same, but bodily injury is raised to a minimum of $100,000 and a maximum of $300,000. Property damage is now 100,000$ and medical payment is $1,000. Last but not least is the third coverage called the Enhanced plus at 1080$. Again, collision and comprehensive are still $500. Bodily injury is raised to $250,000-$500,000. Property damage is now $200,000 and medical payment is $2,000.

As you can see by these three companies, getting a Ferrari insurance quote can be quite surprising. With all the same information, we got different plans, coverage's, prices and information. It is important to shop around, not only for a Ferrari but with any kind of car. Just goes to show that a little patience and snooping can save you a lot of money.

By Joseph Jones.