Is there a genuine Weber under your hood?

The aim of this short article is to try to dispel some misconceptions about the Weber brand and carburetors, and to warn consumers about dealers who claim to sell "original/genuine" Weber carburetors, and to help them discern what "genuine" really means.

The WEBER story:

The founder of the Weber carburetor was Mr. Eduardo Weber (29/11/1889 – 17/05/1945), an Italian engineer and businessman.

The WEBER company we know began its life in 1935 in Bologna, Italy, and manufactured its famous carburetors there until 1992, when production was moved to Spain.

When people think of Weber carburetors, they generally refer to the Weber Company of its founder. But “WEBER” is actually a trademark currently owned by Magneti Marelli. This international company owns many other brands – such as SOLEX. Solex carburetors were a serious competitor for WEBER in the 1960s – and today, they are owned by the same parent company. Magneti Marelli licenses the “WEBER” name to numerous entities worldwide. In some cases, this licensing agreement means that these companies can use the WEBER name and trademark and associate it with a product that would not otherwise be recognized as a WEBER.

Car manufacturers regularly do the same thing for the branding of their products.

GM produces a car in Europe (Opel) in a factory that GM owns and exports/imports it to the United States and sells it as a Cetera Cadillac.

Does that mean it's a Cadillac?

The Ford Probe was a car built jointly with Mazda (the 626) using a Mazda powertrain. So, is it a Ford?

This "brand association" strategy, where a parent company uses the same brand on competing products, is common. Let's take the example of GM. The group needed a mid-size vehicle for its US market, and it was simpler and more economical to rebadge an Opel as a Cadillac. GM was already selling cars under the Opel brand in the US but decided to drop the name when sales fell short of expectations.

Was GM hiding something from their customers by failing to mention that their Cadillacs were actually Opels manufactured in Europe?

And this is precisely where the problem lies with brand image and product rights and licenses – a consumer might buy something they believe to be from one brand – when in fact, it's designed and manufactured by another company. Both companies may be owned by the same parent company – but does that mean the products are actually the same?

It's a similar situation with Weber carburetors today. Interco, also known as Weber in North America and Webercarbsdirect, has no affiliation with the carburetors manufactured in Italy and Spain (other than maintaining licensing and manufacturing agreements with Magneti Marelli). But this licensing agreement means that Interco can legally use the Weber name. Following this logic, they claim their products are "genuine" and that they can do so legally. But are they really "genuine"?

In our opinion, “Authentic” means two things – that it is true and original. There is only one original Weber, and that is the European product originally designed and manufactured by the WEBER company in Italy and later in Spain.

Consumers should be aware, for example, that what Weber in North America is doing is importing a Solex carburetor designed in South America—which they rebadge as Weber—and selling as a "genuine" Weber. Their reasoning? Well, since the Solex factory belongs to Magneti Marelli, they can therefore sell the rebadged products as genuine Weber under license. We won't say any more on this subject; it's up to you, the reader, to form your own opinion.

But even worse, Weber in North America took it a step further from the summer of 2011 by having the 32/36 DGV and the 38 DGS/DGAS/DGVS remade (without specifying where they are manufactured, I'll let you imagine) and marketing them as authentic Weber.

To complicate matters further, there are the carburetors imported by EMPI. These carburetors are manufactured in China and, for lack of a better term, are "copies" of the Italian-designed carburetors. They use the same designations as the original, with the prefix "EPC".

Here is a list below to help you find your way around:

European Weber carburetors – designed by Weber Italy and now manufactured in Spain:
34ICT
32/36 DGV
32/36 DGEV
32/36 DFEV
38DGAS
40IDF
44IDF
48IDF
50IDF
40DCOE
45DCOE
48DCOE
50DCOE
55DCOE

Weber sold by Interco – manufactured and/or sold under license agreements:
34 DGEC – Solex rebadged with a sticker to make it a Weber
36 DGEC – Solex rebadged with a sticker to make it a Weber
32/36 DGEV – no markings indicating its origin
38/38 – DGAS – no markings indicating its origin
40IDF – no markings indicating its origin
44IDF – no markings indicating its origin

EMPI carburetors (own design) – manufactured in China. Unlike Interco and its subsidiaries, EMPI does not brand these carburetors “Weber” – they are marked as what they are – EMPI carburetors. Visually, EMPI carburetors closely resemble Weber carburetors.

EMPI Carburetor Models
· EPC 32/36e
· EPC 32/36m
· EPC 32/36a
· EPC 38/38e
· EPC 32/36f
· EPC 34
· EPC 40 HPMX
· EPC 44 HPMX

Conclusion :
Ultimately, what does this mean for the consumer? You first need to understand what you're buying and why. The choices are as follows:

The real European WEBERs, designed in Italy and manufactured in Spain;
NorthAmericanWeber brand carburetors and EMPI versions.
Until 2001 all Weber conversions used European carburetors.
Even though Weber was renowned as the leader, there was still competition from brands like Dellorto, Mikuni, and Solex. All of this changed with Magneti Marelli's acquisition of Solex, which could then legally use the Weber name for almost anything, thus undermining the entire concept of the brand.

So when you buy, do you want an authentic one? A WEBER carburetor true to its legendary performance? A tried-and-tested carburetor with over 30 years of experience? The Italian-designed carburetor that was, and still is, the benchmark for twin carburetors? If so, take a look at our website; we are an official Weber distributor, and all our carburetors are genuine Weber carburetors made in Europe.

Below is also a short guide to recognizing a genuine WEBER carburetor (by the way, if you think your carb is a rebadged North American Solex, simply open it up and look at the jets. If so, they will be stamped with the Solex logo 😉)

So if you want a genuine Weber, look no further: