Ferrari, maker of fine Italian supercars, has a habit of threatening to sue the owners of said cars who modify them in ways that Maranello deems problematic the brand. So when a story about its lawyers slinging a cease-and-desist letter at the builder of a rotary engine-swapped Ferrari 456 GT hit the internet this week, enthusiasts were appropriately incensed. Ferrari may not love that sort of thing, but it crosses the line when lawyers get involved. But this is 2020, and you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

That aspect of this story is completely made up—a very real example of fake news, the tempting kind that can sweep across the internet like wildfire before anyone stops to question it. No, Ferrari did not send this New Zealand tuner cease-and-desist letter, nor is it in the business of hunting for salvage model engine swaps to destroy. The entire episode was a case study in wasted outrage.

Here's how it all went down.