See this article
http://www3.lastampa.it/torino/sezioni/cronaca/articolo/lstp/423078/

The Italian Abarth Forums are in overdrive

here is the Google Translation


   
NEWS
03/10/2011 - CHEATING BY ONE MILLION EUROS
They stole the Abarth parts
and resold them on the Web, arrested

The investigation was conducted by the police the company's Mirafiori
The study lasted 7 months, has
also led to 25 complaints
to employees and couriers
DANIEL LANNI (AGB)
TURIN
Seven-month investigation led police to the Company's Mirafiori in Turin you discover a scam from 1 million euros against the company Abarth. The budget is two stops and 25 persons reported. It is disloyal employees and couriers complacent. They stole Abarth parts and accessories, such as engine control units, turbines, brake systems, shock absorbers, sport seats, filters and clothing, and then resold them on the Internet at prices much lower than those of the market. A kick off the investigation was the same company of the Fiat group in the month of February. Management has made ​​a complaint to the police after some dealers in Italy and Europe had reported not having received all the material Abarth ordered. The most popular were the members of the official development kit for the cars Fiat 500 and Fiat Grande Punto: unit processes, brake shoes, exhaust and suspension systems. thorough investigation allowed the police to discover the modus operandi of the gang. Disloyal employees took care to conceal the material needed, stealing away in the warehouse of the company Plava, in Turin, with the complicity of a courier goods were transported outside, hidden in other packages. The external accomplices, responsible for distribution, were in contact on the web, through an employee Abarth, whose nickname was GASON330, which distributed the stolen material and divided the profits. The military are registered on various websites selling with false identities, cover, to stamp out the illegal activity. The police have established that the criminal group also had ramifications in Calabria, near Cosenza. The fraud against dell'Abarth, according to initial estimates of the investigators, would amount, in recent years, at least one million euros. Fifteen of the searches made ​​in the provincial capital of Piemonte and against many defendants, ten of which are borne by employees, each responsible for various reasons of theft, receiving stolen goods in competition and some also of conspiracy. The police, during the checks, they also seized clothing, components and a motor vehicle in use at one of the suspects.


Explains a lot !!!

Could explain why I waited months for various parts....

So now we know the story behind those 'new' SS ecus that strangely became available 

Looking on the Abarth club site (where it seems some parts were sold) they were selling the ecus, brembos, bmc filters, turbos, sabelts, monzas.

I did actually look once at the stuff for sale there once I did find it odd that someone had access to selling bits at much cheaper prices than Abarth retail, also the photographs of the bits looked like they were taken in a warehouse, a tributo (silver) monza exhaust for example.

What site was this that they where selling them on then? I would have slapped my wallet out 

I wonder if this explains the 695 bumpers for sale on eBay uk??

Quote from: garyskisplym on October 04, 2011, 09:00:17 pm

I wonder if this explains the 695 bumpers for sale on eBay uk??

Just what i was thinking 

Yup

A certain car plant near liverpool airport has metal detectors and turnstiles on its employee exits..........

It seems that when you are buidling cars it is too tempting to have a spare parts business on the side.