This man thought he got a steal on a Ferrari 360 F1 Modena, until he realized his “new to him” exotic might be a clone car.

When you’re dropping close to $100 grand on a used exotic it goes without saying but you have to do your homework. 36-year-old Ferrari 360 owner Phlip Jensen found that out the hard way when he had a suspicious feeling his 2005 Ferrari 360 Modena F1 was older than the used exotic dealer sold it as.

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You can read up on the epic thread titled “Maybe I’ve been cheated with my Ferrari 360” on Ferrari Chat.com linked here.

Philip started to doubt the legitimacy of his newly purchased 2005 Ferrari 360 when he noticed the Ferrari F1 World Champion dedication plate, an optional $300 placard new owners could get on their Ferraris, only included Ferrari’s Championship winning years in 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Here’s what one looks like, you’ll normally find these on the passenger side.

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I bought a Ferrari Modena F1 from 2005, but I have a feeling that it is older. And it was reinforced by the fact that I saw in the passenger seat a metal sign that says “Ferrari F1 World Champion 1999 2000 2001” and other Modena from 2005 it says “Ferrari F1 World Champion 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003”, but are there others in here who knows something about some things that I Can check on a 2005 model, to see it’s really is a 2005 model ?

You can read his updates in the thread linked above but not only was the placard a tell-tale sign that something was amiss, either the engine valve covers or the engine bay itself was at one time the color blue.

After calling Ferrari Denmark and giving them his VIN to check out himself, Ferrari informed him that his 360 was in fact from model year 2002 which means he did not purchase one made in 2004 for model year 2005.

It gets worse.

The simple and ugly truth that explained his dilemma was that his car was a clone or registration and identification marks from a clean car of the same make, model, color, and specification including the VIN where copied and pasted onto his car. His Ferrari 360 might be stolen or has a salvage title underneath.

Those in the thread cautioned Philip not to return to the dealer because probably Ferrari would try to repossess a potentially stolen car.

Since updating Ferrari Chat with what Ferrari of Denmark informed him, there’s been no new updates since.

Some think this is all an elaborate hoax from a new member while others think it’s real. I think it’s the real deal.

Philip hasn’t disclosed the purchase price but I assume it had to be a steal for him to turn a blind eye to a badly painted engine bay and a wonky VIN.

Ferrari 360s are intoxicating exotics that are within arms reach for those with a bit of cash. It’s easy to believe someone could get duped into buying a cloned car after a convincing test drive and a steal of a deal price.

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Even if the 360 is, in fact older, Philip can take consolation that there weren’t too many changes mechanically in those three years.

The legal standing of the car is another issue altogether. Salvage title and Philip can either live with it or repair the title as best he can. Stolen is another story.

Before you drop money on any major purchase make sure you know as much as you can about your big ticket item because what you don’t know is where unscrupulous sellers will exploit you, like this Ferrari owner.

I don’t see this story having a happy ending, but if there’s an update, I will let ya’ll know.

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