Two Ferrari F40 lookalikes spotted on Google Maps in Spain turned out to be replicas built on an American sports car.
The discovery of two seemingly abandoned Ferrari F40s could have been a dream come true for any car enthusiast. Spanish blogger Georgesmithgood spotted the cars in Google Maps imagery, with each vehicle appearing in a different part of the country. Curious to see whether the rare supercars were real, he traveled to both locations. Instead of finding two genuine Ferraris, he uncovered a pair of replicas built on the Pontiac Fiero.
Ferrari introduced the F40 in 1987 to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. Designed as a road-going supercar, it featured a mid-engine layout, a lightweight body, and a twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The F40 remains one of Ferrari's most recognizable models from the late 1980s and is highly sought after by collectors.
The first car appeared in a small Spanish town near the Portuguese border. Satellite and Street View imagery showed the vehicle parked inside an old building among several other cars. Its red body, distinctive proportions, and familiar silhouette made it look remarkably like an abandoned F40.
A closer inspection revealed a very different story. The car was actually based on a Pontiac Fiero, an American mid-engine sports car fitted with bodywork designed to resemble the Ferrari supercar.
The second discovery was just as intriguing. Another F40 lookalike appeared in the Valencia area, prompting the blogger to investigate its origins. Once again, the car turned out to be a replica built on the Pontiac Fiero platform.
The two vehicles, found in different parts of Spain, shared more than just a similar appearance. Both used the same underlying model as their starting point, and their styling was convincing enough to make them look like genuine Ferrari F40s at first glance, particularly in low-resolution photographs.
The second replica even led to a potential sale. Its owner offered the car to the blogger for $35,000, but he declined the deal.
That asking price is a world apart from what buyers would expect to pay for an authentic Ferrari F40. Replica values depend on different factors, including build quality, overall condition, the amount of custom work involved, and the value of the original Pontiac Fiero used for the conversion.
The Fiero has long been a popular choice for replica builders because of its mid-engine configuration. Its layout provides proportions that lend themselves to recreating exotic sports cars, and the model has served as the foundation for numerous Ferrari and Lamborghini replicas over the years.
The Ferrari F40 is particularly recognizable thanks to its distinctive shape, large air intakes, and prominent rear wing. Those features can create a convincing illusion in Google Maps imagery, especially when a vehicle is photographed from a distance. In this case, what initially looked like two abandoned Italian supercars turned out to be American sports cars wearing convincing Ferrari-inspired bodywork.