ON first glance you see a flashy Ferrari parked in a superstar’s garage.

But take a closer look and you’ll find it is actually a clever illusion.

Crafty Chris Smart could not afford a rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at a jaw-dropping £15m – so instead he got one at a fraction of the price.

He might not be able to hear the roar of its engine but it makes him – and his neighbours – smile.

Art enthusiast Chris, who works for marine company Bainsbridge International in Hedge End as a customer support executive, decided to use his talent to cover up his drab garage door with this head-turning 3D design which makes passers-by slam on the brakes for a double-take.

He said: “I hated the garage door before, it was really dull.

I saw garage covers on the Internet and wanted to make one unique to me. I have always loved that car and wanted to make it a bit of fun, although it would certainly be nice to have a real one parked in there. “People do have to do a double-take and then they smile when they realise what it is. Lots of kids have been taking photos.”

The realistic image took Chris two weeks to sketch and paint on a board using weather-resistant paints. In the garage scene, he included Harry Potter’s broom, a KFC bargain bucket, a paint pot with his name on it and even a naughty calendar behind a ladder.

Open up the door, and it is just another garage.

The garage doors are a latest craze for humourous home owners who want to wow their neighbours.

But Chris does not stop at cars. For dad Keith, who used to play for Southampton FC, he even decorated his shed with realistic Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Chris, 32, who lives with his wife Kerry on the corner of Longmead Avenue and Church Road in Bishopstoke, studied art at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh.

He even has a dedicated room in his flat where he creates portraits, pictures of cars, houses and animals, and sculptures – sometimes waking up at 4.30am to get started.

He said: “I’m always working on something. My wife says she doesn’t see me sometimes. If it is there, I will paint it.”