There are a bunch of iffy supercar copies on the market, but the good news is that the underlying donor car is usually a pile of trash, to begin with. On the other hand, today’s replica story is in a league of its own, as this Ferrari LaFerrari project was built on an Audi automobile.
What you see in the photos is a disastrous attempt to recreate two versions of the LaFerrari while simultaneously causing damage to an excellent first-generation Audi R8 V10 Spyder.
It’s fair to be horrified by the idea of disassembling and altering an Audi R8 to create this Frankenstein-like kit car, but the current owner of the DIY LaFerrari dares to disagree. “A lot of time, effort, and money has been spent on this project to make the car look like a real LaFerrari,” the car’s creator said.
Although South Africa manufactures excellent Shelby replicas, the maker of this visual bombardment was not quite as skillfully built. The panel gaps are wide enough for a Hot Wheels to fit through, the misaligned butterfly doors can barely handle their weight, and the wheels are knock-off Vossens that appear to be too small for the back and too huge for the front.
It seems like the artist was compelled to use every bit of fibreglass he could lay his hands on. Worse, the car is a horrible mash-up of the standard LaFerrari and the FXX-K Evo, which is only for track use. He could have at the very least limited himself to one design.
The interior is even sloppier, with a fake Ferrari emblem glued to the steering wheel airbag and the dash cut on both ends to match the cheap-looking doors. The steering wheel is squeaky, and the original Audi driver’s display is full of flaws and airbag warnings.
The Online Marketplace is unquestionably unique. “This car looks like the real deal and has the power and speed to match,” the ad description ironically says. That’s correct. Surprisingly, this individual estimates that his unique creation is worth ZAR650,000.
To be fair, the build took a lot of time and work, but whether it looks like a “real LaFerrari” is debatable.