Chinese Police Nabs Fake Lamborghini

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: June 17th, 2011

A month ago, our friends at Carnewschina spotted an odd creation in Kumming, a Chinese city that is famous for other products than cars. The owner of a hair salon (we don’t know what kind of a hair salon, some hair salons in China are famous for other services than hair cutting) was infatuated with the new Lamborghini Aventador. What he didn’t like was the $968,426 sticker price (MSRP, landed in China, taxes included, and yes, you did read right.) So the hairdresser called on the local roadside sheet metal fabricator, showed him a picture and said: “Can you make that?”

“Mei wen ti” (no problem) was the answer. The barber of Kumming handed over a 1995 Nissan Bluebird with a 200hp 2 liter turbocharged 6-cylinder engine from the Nissan Cefiro, along with 90,000 yuan ($14,000). The fabricator fired-up his welder. 12 days later, the barber had the above.

The switchblade doors alone would be worth $14,000 …

Today, Carnewschina checked in again on the barber of Kumming. The don’t waste any time in China: The car is painted, it has glass, and it looks downright stealthy.

The interior needs a little work. The sheet metal shop said this wasn’t their department.

The proud owner took the beer budget Aventador on a cruise to downtown Kumming. But what’s that in the back? It’s the fuzz!

A few minutes later, the car was confiscated. Kumming’s finest had several issues with the car. For one, there was no license plate. The excuse that there is no place to put one didn’t cut it. 500 yuan ($77) fine. The much bigger dilemma: The car doesn’t look like a Nissan Bluebird. When a car is registered in China, a picture is taken of the car. If the car doesn’t resemble the picture, you have a problem. An insidious punishment was handed down:The barber was ordered to restore the car to its original documented shape. According to local press, the car sits in the Kumming impound, “pending further investigation.”

I bet if you make an offer, you can pick it up for cheap. Contact Carnewschina for the address of the barber shop.

#Aventador #BertelSchmitt #China #Fake #Lamborghini

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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4 of 26 comments

Srogers on Jun 17, 2011

I'm not convinced that it's a fake.

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- Panzerfaust on Jun 17, 2011
  
  Well if it isn't the Kumming 'barber' got a heck of a deal. I'm still scratching my head about the Aventador anyway. I get that it's inteded to be a highest of the high end super car that offers exclusivity over anything else. Yet when you compare its numbers with that of a Gallardo LP550-2 it doesn't make a lot of sense. All that carbon fibre, and yet if the published curb weights are accurate it weighs 3750lb to the Gallardo's 3400. Top speed is 18mph faster, 0-60 .6 of a second faster, zero to 100 .9 second faster--for nearly twice the price.
  
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- SVX pearlie on Jun 17, 2011
  
  @panzerfaust It is much more exclusive than the Gallardo.
  
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Geggamoya on Jun 21, 2011

Nice work. I would still rather have the Bluebird than this Datsurghini though.. Also i think you mean Kunming, not Kumming. My uncle has lived there for 15 years.

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