Slovak carmaker goes beyond fake Ferraris

By Martin Dokoupil

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Cleaning cars at a gas station near Washington D.C. in the late 1980s, Dick Kvetnansky spotted something weird. A yellow Ferrari Testarossa rolled in, but its engine sounded more like a Chevrolet.

It was a fake. It gave the Slovak an idea.

He started making fake Ferraris and Lamborghinis -- his first was a yellow Testarossa -- and spent several years trying to mimic the world's top sports car makers. A few were used in Hollywood crashes.

But Ferrari cracked down, saying he was harming their image. The Italian company made him shut down his replica business and forced him to enter a kit car market with a new design.

Making roadster kits built on a Honda Accord frame that a crafty teenager could assemble in a garage was profitable.

Many small companies also supply kits allowing enthusiasts to recreate replicas of desirable sports cars like the AC Cobra -- a performance legend now beyond the pockets of all but the rich.

Then Kvetnansky realised he could make an original sports car. Now the entrepreneur, backed by about 150 million crowns (4 million pounds) from Slovak investment firm CI Holding, is hoping to take on the likes of Lamborghini with a wholly original roadster, the K-1 Attack. And he is nothing if not brazen.

"Before, Attack looked fast only when standing on a parking lot. Now, I call out any Porsche, any Ferrari for a challenge," he said.