ESSEN: If you can't afford a Ferrari, then why not at least make your car look like one? That was the thinking of one Toyota owner in Germany whose convincing Prancing Horse forgery attracted closer inspection from the police.
The 45-year-old from the German city of Duisburg near here with a fondness for bright red Italian sports cars found himself in trouble after a police patrol stopped on June 8 to admire what at first sight appeared to be a genuine Ferrari.
Police have since charged the man with illegally converting his used Toyota into a "fake Ferrari."
Although the driver was not known to have been passing the Toyota off to potential buyers as a fake, police said his bonnet was making illegal use of Ferrari's trademarked logo, an area where luxury car brands are extremely protective.
Not just that, but Prancing Horse branding could be seen on the wheels and all over the Toyota's interior, a police spokesman said.
The owner of the Toyota MR2, which was not confiscated, now faces a fine and will be forced to restore the car to its original condition.
A Toyota MR2 car can be bought used for about €10,000 (RM49,000) - or less than half the price of even the cheapest Ferrari.
