By Greg Milam, Sky News' Europe correspondent in Brussels
Yasmin Le Bon first thing on a Monday morning? Who wouldn't turn up for that?
If there is one sure fire way of getting the cameras to your news conference, booking a glamorous supermodel must be it.
But Yasmin Le Bon is a glamorous supermodel on a mission.
Her appearance at the Fakes Cost More event in Brussels was, if you pardon the pun, very genuine.
She clearly is bothered by the hidden costs of the counterfeit business: child labour, terrorism and organised crime.
And clearly bothered that we the consumer don't do enough to combat it.
And her passion and engagement with the issue was clear to see.
"It is really easy to say 'Oh it is just a fake watch' but there is so much more behind each fake and people need to be aware of that," she told me.
The amount of fake medicines being trafficked has gone up by hundreds of per cent in the last year or so. Mainly to Africa.
"That is just so so awful," added Yasmin.
Model On A Mission
The people behind the event went to a lot of trouble to make it sexy.
I am actually writing this while sitting next to Elle MacPherson.
Outside is an extraordinary counterfeit Ferrari.
The Body meets The Fake Body if you like.
Sadly Elle declined the chance to discuss the issue with me.
No-one could quite understand the acrobatic martial arts dancers though.
"Looked painful," said Yasmin.
It is a sign of the times that it takes celebrity to highlight a serious issue.
When those celebrities take a genuine interest it is a different matter.
I understand what the EU politicians and Intellectual Property Rights campaigners would like us to believe this car is – a one-off ‘fake’ replica of an extremely rare and expensive real Ferrari P4 sports-racer, “made in Thailand”.
The problem is that in truth, such ‘fake’ Ferrari P4 replicas are (relatively) more common – and made a LOT closer to home. They have been produced in kit form in ENGLAND almost continuously from 1987 to 2006. The earliest ‘volume’ ‘Ferrari’ P4 replica kit manufacturer was Lee Noble – then trading as Noble Motorsport, now better known for building ‘proper’ supercars like the much-lauded M12 GTO. Here’s a quote from his website:
‘Lee followed the Ultima with two modern replicas of well-known designs. The first, a recreation of the Lotus 23B, was powered by a Lotus Twin Cam engine with a Renault V6 unit as an alternative. Production reached 60 units before Lee introduced a replica of the Ferrari P4, which proved an even greater success with more than 250 produced, all powered by the Chevrolet V8. As with all his creations, build quality was exemplary - most cars survive today and there is a thriving owners' club.’
It is my personal belief that this particular car, shown in Brussels on Monday, is a Noble P4 replica, probably built in the early 90’s. It was most likely fitted with a Renault PRV V-6 motor, when first built, which was subsequently replaced by a Subaru flat Boxer-4 – quite possibly in Thailand. I know of at least 12 of these cars in Japan. Such conversions often happen when cars change hands. Other swaps for the PRV V-6 include Chevy and Ferrari 3xx V-8’s.
Incidentally, I run the world-wide register for Ferrari P4 replicas, and so I make it my business to track and identify such cars.
I’m not often wrong in such matters, and I eagerly await the opportunity to inspect this car …. and be proven wrong if I am.
Posted by: P4 Replica Register Mar 12, 2008 2:36:42 PM
Easy for her to say when she is a wealthy person so £10 for CD/DVD is nothing to her the ordinary man in the street is heartily sick of these privelidged fools preaching to the masses unless they have something constructive to say keep quiet
Posted by: Gary, Redcar Mar 11, 2008 5:54:46 AM
With so many [Fake] merchandise as well as politicians, I see [Simply Red] when I am told its a bargain.
Posted by: Khalid Mar 11, 2008 3:48:41 AM