Fake In China: Lamborghini Diablo Goes To Hell
Remember the DIY Lamborghini? In a garage somewhere in the less picturesque parts of Beijing, a man built a Lamborghini Diablo replica, fiberglass on hand-welded frame. No industrious Chinese will allow something like that to be forgotten as a one-off lunatic hobby project. Half a year later …
… Diablo Auto was born. Today at the Auto Tuning Car Show in Beijing, the industrious welder had his coming out as the CEO and owner of “the first supercar builder in China.”
Got that? In case you did not, Diablo thinks it’s so nice and says it twice: “The First Supercar Builder.” “The First Supercar Builder in China.” While on the topic of twins: The engine is a Toyota v8 1uz twin-turbo engine, tuned up to some 450 horsepower.
The owner is Li Lin “Joe” Tao. According to Carnewschina, Joe built his first Diablo because he couldn’t afford the real thing. He had some demand, and built some more. According to Carnewschina, “the Lamborghini Diablo was never exported to China,” a fact that could come in handy just in case Lamborghini/Volkswagen will take Joe to court. Did you register the Diablo as a design patent in China, Lamborghini? Nein? Pound sand then.
This is Diablo Works, Beijing.
This logo, found by Carnewschina on the bodywork just behind the door would be more actionable.
That logo, found on the hood, is an improvement, however, the bull still shines through.
More pictures at Carnewschina.com. If anyone needs Carnewschina owner Tycho as a witness, I have his number. For a fee. This is industrious China, after all.
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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I wonder about the underlying engineering. Still, it's a knockoff, perfectly acceptable if you know that it is. There is a reverse snob factor going on with people actively seeking out the fake Hermes bag or even the Rollexs and Sornys. Sometimes, it can work out well. I'd love a followup in a years time to find out how it's going.
Nice purple ;)