GM sues replica Corvette maker

DETROIT, March 21 (UPI) -- General Motors is suing a small Ohio company for building replica versions of its iconic Corvette sports car, court documents show.

Mongoose Motorsports of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, specializes in replicas of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, the rarest Corvette model. Only five originals were built, and they sell for millions when they come up for auction, The Detroit News reported Sunday.

Mongoose replicas sell for less than $90,000, but GM is demanding Mongoose stop producing them at any price, the News said.

GM is suing for trademark infringement and says the replicas, which the automaker calls exact copies of the Corvette's design, have irreparably harmed their iconic brand.

"This is not an homage," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said.

Gary Krause Jr., Mongoose operations manager, was unaware of the suit until being contacted by the News.

"That's news to me," he said in a telephone interview. "I really would rather not go into any detail."