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Rather than fork over big bucks to get high-performance versions of sexy sports cars, some enthusiasts are trying to get the bling without the extra ka-ching.
They are going to dealers or online auctioneer eBay to buy emblems in hopes their cars can masquerade as versions that would cost thousands more.
"It happens all the time," says Myles Kovacs, president of Dub magazine, which follows car-customization trends. "People want to live outside their means."

Cruising the streets of Southern California, officials at Kelley Blue Book, an auto-buying service, say they've seen Mercedes eight-cylinder coupes rebadged as 12-cylinder versions, a sedan with emblems that would make it a coupe, and fake high-performance AMG or Brabus models.

Occasionally, cars will change brands altogether. "We saw a Ford badged as an Acura. We were dying," says Kelley Blue Book spokeswoman Robyn Eckard.

Online auction service eBay says it sells about 15,000 items a month in the automotive emblem category.

Automakers acknowledge the practice — and don't seem to mind.

Mercedes owners can buy the lettering indicating their cars are the high-end AMG version for about $65 at a dealer's parts department. Chrysler 300 owners who want their cars to mimic the Hemi-powered 300C can buy the insignia for about $12.50.

Replacement is generally easy — just a few minutes with a heat gun or hair dryer and dental floss to remove the old one, and some tape to attach the new badge.

At the nation's top-selling Mercedes dealer, maybe one or two buyers out of 100 will ask to have their car rebadged, says Garth Blumenthal, general manager of Fletcher Jones Motorcars in Newport Beach, Calif.

Yet even with the new badge, diehard enthusiasts can't be tricked, because clues such as exhaust pipes or wheels give them away. As for BMW owners who hope an emblem will turn their car into the performance division version, "You can't fool somebody (into thinking) it's an M3 or M5," BMW spokesman Rob Mitchell says.

Some high-performance companies, however, draw the line at helping people fake the credentials of their wheels.

Shelby Automobiles, the car customizer made famous by Carroll Shelby, turns down dozens of requests a day to turn Ford Mustangs into the Shelby Mustang that it built as a promotion for Hertz, President Amy Boylan says. She says she'll only sell approved parts, not whole kits.

Likewise, Mustang hot-rod rebuilder Saleen won't sell the engine compartment plate indicating the car is genuine.

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i am more just from the fact that this has become newsworthy

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i debadged my m3, what does that make me?

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Well, if you lived in St. Louis you'd look like a Bosnian kid with a 318is and a body kit (only about half of them actually go for the ///M badges). If you were driving an M-shoe it would have taken you weeks to ferret out all the damn badges.


cheers,
scott

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i debadged my m3, what does that make me?

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congrats, you're not a douche bag.

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congrats, you're not a douche bag.

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my plates are still a dead giveaway

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About 25% of the 300 here have the Bently Grill, some of them even have the Bently Badge.

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werd, saw one at the unlv campus and did a double take... hell i turned to my friend and said "nice bentley"

i got real fucking pissed when i saw the back end of the car