As gearheads we know the quickest way to a woman’s heart is with a flashy car, right? Probably not, but one man in China thought it was the perfect way to land a girlfriend. Weirdly it almost worked. Almost.
The story starts when our… “hero” attended a party. Reportedly keeping a low profile during the event itself, the man pulled his trap card as he went to leave. While making his way to the exit, he asked an attractive woman if he could give her a lift home, apparently knowing that they live in the same area.
So far, so creepy, but she accepted his offer when she saw his car: a brand-new Porsche Macan worth 550,000 yuan ($82,500). It seems that the unnamed Casanova’s humble attitude — his quiet behavior at the party and the fact he only wore inexpensive clothes — combined with his more obvious wealth proved an enticing combination for the lady in question. They hit it off and began a relationship.
But his fortune didn’t materialize during the romance. The couple went on dinner dates and movies, but they only went to budget restaurants. Perhaps our man was wealthy through being smart with his money.
The fen dropped when she took to social media to celebrate their relationship. She posted pictures, including photos of the car, on Weibo, the Chinese version of Facebook. Many friends chimed in congratulating her on her new relationship, but one questioned the vehicle.
Yes, it turned out that the “Porsche Macan” was actually a Zotye SR9 as in the images above. Thanks to the unique way copyright laws work in China, this SUV is practically indistiguishable from the Porsche Macan. It is a lot cheaper though, with prices starting at just 108,000 yuan ($17,000).
In order to conceal the identity of his car further, the SR9 owner gave it a full Porsche makeover. This included things like new badges and even Porsche wheel caps to complete the look. Unsurprisingly, there are guides on the internet to help you plan this out, which is a clue as to how similar the two really look.
If cars aren’t your thing, it’s easy to see how you could mistake the two vehicles.
After her friend told her the differences between the two SUVs, she confronted her boyfriend. At first, he played it off like it was a newer model, but this just dug the hole deeper. Finally, she dropped the bombshell. She told him she knew what was up and ended the relationship, but not before he’d accused her of being a vain show-off.
So what’s the moral of the story? Don’t lie about your car to attract someone. Also, don’t fall for someone just because they have a nice car. And in China, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might actually be a hamster.
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