Fake classic cars on the rise

More and more fake antique cars are appearing on the global market.

With a huge rise in the price tags for vintage cars, the market in fakes appears to be flourishing.  Companies which specialise in verifying classic cars have watched the market grow in fake cars, particularly since the financial crunch.

Genuine vintage cars are fetching more than seven times their auction price ten years ago, according to experts Historica Selecta. The latest auction world record was for a 1954 Mercedes-Benz F1 car - at a cool £19.6m ($32.1m) in July 2013.

With the cost of building fake antique cars being so expensive, this market is very much part of organized crime rather than individuals producing the vehicles. Faking vintage vehicles takes different forms including mixing authentic parts with new build.

However, replica vintage cars are very popular with people who can't afford the genuine article.  Unlike their fake counterparts - which are sold as geniune models - replicas form a legitimate part of the classic and vintage car market.