Cizeta seized by federal agents in Orange County

avanti

avanti

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/12/rare-cizeta-v16-sports-car-worth-700000-seized-by-federal-agents-in-orange-county.html

A $700,000 Italian sports car that originally was brought into the United States in 2001 for maintenance was seized today in Orange County as part of a federal investigation into violations of environmental and transportation safety regulations.

Agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement found the 1994 Cizeta V16 sports car at the Family Classic Cars showroom in San Juan Capistrano, eight years after an agreement specified that the car would be sent back to where it came following repairs.

The car is one of fewer than a dozen such vehicles produced by automotive engineer Claudio Zampoli in a joint venture with music composer Giorgio Moroder, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

The government alleges that Zampoli and his agent violated U.S. customs and environmental laws, Kice said They allegedly claimed the vehicle was worth $125,000, even though the car originally sold new for approximately $600,000.

In addition, Zampoli and his representative failed to export the vehicle within a reasonable period of time, according to the allegation.

?Make no mistake, the illegal importation of gray market vehicles like this is not just a technical violation,? said Miguel Unzueta, special agent in charge for the customs agency's Office of Investigations in Los Angeles. ?Cars that don?t meet U.S. standards are outlawed for a reason. These vehicles can pose a real threat to public health and safety.?

The car was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken to a secure government storage facility, Kice said.

The Cizeta will remain in storage while authorities seek to have it forfeited to the federal government. If the vehicle is forfeited, it will be offered for sale at a public auction. Since the vehicle does not meet U.S. environmental and safety standards, any domestic buyer would have to export the car following its purchase.

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photo: ICE
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:rolleyes:

cizeta1.jpg

cizeta2.jpg
 
I have a feeling what that's going to amount to is various forms of tax evasion rather than "safety violations."
 
LeVeL said:
Dear United States government,

You can be really fucking gay sometimes.

Love,
-Every car nut in the world
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Let's not insult the gays by associating them with this silly incident.
 
Every time I hear or read a brainless nincompoop of a civil servant uttering things about "health and safety risks" on American roads, I have to laugh out loud.

Not only are the U.S. roads the most dangerous ones in the Western world, but many of the vehicles there wouldn't even pass a minor technical inspection here, not to mention the unexisting skills of many of the drivers.

Sometimes I really wish that people would be forced to look over their own edge of the plate, e.g. looking at how things are down in other countries, before they get a paid job with the authorities. But that would include admitting that not everything in the USA is "world leading" and therefore seems to be an impertinence.

Sorry for the sarcasm but that wanted to get out of my brain and into my fingers with brute force.

Having said that: The Cizeta Moroder is a phantom car, like the Vector. It got huge attention by the press back then but actually never convinced anyone.
 
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That police officers name is ICE.

ICE ICE BABY
 
If Vanilla Ice became a police officer I'd loose all respect for law enforcement in this country.
 
MacGuffin said:
Every time I hear or read a brainless nincompoop of a civil servant uttering things about "health and safety risks" on American roads, I have to laugh out loud.

Not only are the U.S. roads the most dangerous ones in the Western world, but many of the vehicles there wouldn't even pass a minor technical inspection here, not to mention the unexisting skills of many of the drivers.

Sometimes I really wish that people would be forced to look over their own edge of the plate, e.g. looking at how things are down in other countries, before they get a paid job with the authorities. But that would include admitting that not everything in the USA is "world leading" and therefore seems to be an impertinence.
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What the fuck, where did that mini-rant against America come from? I'm sorry the country is a trillion times bigger than Germany with a greater road network that wasn't originally designed for 16-cylinder Italian supercars. :rolleyes:

God forbid there aren't any bureaucrats, asinine laws, legal loopholes or stupid people in zat vundebar paradize known as ze Vaterland!
 
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MacGuffin said:
Every time I hear or read a brainless nincompoop of a civil servant uttering things about "health and safety risks" on American roads, I have to laugh out loud.

Not only are the U.S. roads the most dangerous ones in the Western world, but many of the vehicles there wouldn't even pass a minor technical inspection here, not to mention the unexisting skills of many of the drivers.

Sometimes I really wish that people would be forced to look over their own edge of the plate, e.g. looking at how things are down in other countries, before they get a paid job with the authorities. But that would include admitting that not everything in the USA is "world leading" and therefore seems to be an impertinence.

Sorry for the sarcasm but that wanted to get out of my brain and into my fingers with brute force.

Having said that: The Cizeta Moroder is a phantom car, like the Vector. It got huge attention by the press back then but actually never convinced anyone.
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You seem to be doing a lot of America hating lately. Ass.

Since this took place in California, I am going to pleasantly file it under a separate country in my mind.
 
BlaRo said:
What the fuck, where did that mini-rant against America come from? I'm sorry the country is a trillion times bigger than Germany with a greater road network that wasn't originally designed for 16-cylinder Italian supercars. :rolleyes:
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It's a well known fact that Germany has absolutely no stupid laws. They are the most enlightened society on Earth. German people are always very open to other cultures and understanding of their customs, even though they have the best food, and wine, and style, and language, and sights, they never look down or condemn other countries ever. And they certainly only ever make sweeping generalizations in a lighthearted, humorous tone.
 
Twerp128 said:
It's a well known fact that Germany has absolutely no stupid laws. They are the most enlightened society on Earth. German people are always very open to other cultures and understanding of their customs, even though they have the best food, and wine, and style, and language, and sights, they never look down or condemn other countries ever. And they certainly only ever make sweeping generalizations in a lighthearted, humorous tone.
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I agree 100%. I wish I was german :cry:




ALL HAIL ZE FAZERLAND!
hitler_paper.jpg
 
Aww, come on finalgear it took untill post 15 and 8 replies after the german to mention Hitler, I'm disappointed.
 
Dear US Government:

Just send it to me, then we don't have to worry about it.

Hooray for Canada and the relative ease of getting 15 year old cool cars in the country.
 
Seems like I put my finger into an open wound there :mrgreen:

But I admit I'm grumpy today. I have a cough, headaches and didn't sleep for more than 3 hours last night.
 
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BlaRo said:
I'm sorry the country is a trillion times bigger than Germany with a greater road network that wasn't originally designed for 16-cylinder Italian supercars.
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Since we're talking about roads it's actually nine times larger, not a trillion :p

BlaRo said:
God forbid there aren't any bureaucrats, asinine laws, legal loopholes or stupid people in zat vundebar paradize known as ze Vaterland!
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Technically in this case it's your goverments fault for making up their own asinine standards over there instead of conforming to international regulations (for no other reason than simple NIH) in the first place ;)
 
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