It looks like even Japanese car enthusiasts can’t tell a fake Mugen valve cover from an authentic one.
Authentic Mugen valve covers sell for thousands of dollars and for good reason, there were only so many made and they are cast using the same sand casting method used to build authentic Mugen race engines. Fake ones, while they look 90 percent the same, are a dime a dozen on eBay. So it was such a surprise, as per Yahoo Japan on one of their latest auctions that just wrapped up earlier this weekend (Oct. 28,2018) when this Mugen B-series valve cover sold for a whopping 355,000 yen which is roughly equal to $3,170. Check out an album of screenshots of the auction for when the listing goes kaput.
According to the seller, this “Mugen” (or should I say…Fugen) Formula Valve Cover has been in their shop for quite some time on display so there is no original box, which would’ve been a dead giveaway that this is a fake. Perhaps, since this is a Japan auction, Japanese car enthusiasts, assuming a Japanese native bought it, aren’t as aware of fake parts as US JDM enthusiasts are.
At first glance, there are so many red flags. First, the MUGEN lettering is not italicized as much as authentic MUGEN valve covers. Then, there are the mounting holes, particularly the one above the letter N. Usually authentic ones sport the mounting hole slightly in between the E and the N. The real Hiragana for MUGEN also lacks detail.
King Motorsports, the authority and authorized North American seller of authentic Mugen parts has the definitive guide to fake-spotting a Mugen Valve Cover linked here! The guide pretty much goes through everything I mentioned and then some.
Maybe sellers on Yahoo Japan aren’t as honest as we think they might be. In the questions answered section the seller doesn’t confirm its originality despite the internet at his fingertips.
I really hope the bids didn’t actually go through and someone didn’t get duped. It’d be such a shame.
Source: Yahoo Japan
