10 more sets of automotive doppelgängers | Hagerty Media

[Hagerty]

A year ago, we assembled 20 pairs of cars that looked a lot-or at least somewhat-alike. Many of these cars were separated by decades, or by continents, while others were direct competitors with each other in period. Some of our pairings were more well-received than others, but many in the Hagerty Community became interested enough to offer up their own suggestions.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/lists/10-more-sets-of-automotive-doppelgangers/

[RokemRonnie]

It's pretty well known that Tom Matano explicitly based the styling of the the original Miata on the Elan.

While the Miata looks like the Elan, what's not as well known is that under the skin, the Toyota 2000GT is a mechanical twin of the Elan, except for having an inline six rather than a four. The backbone chassis and suspension of the 2000GT are near copies of the Elan.

[audiocage]

C3 Corvette and Opel GT?

[audiocage]

Whoops. Missed the first installment...

[wendy834gt]

Excellent!!

The Corvette was my car when I was a kid (my first love), but my sister liked the Opal and I used to say it was because it looked like a Corvette !

[aschenbloedel62]

my brother in germany had a opel gt, was fun to drive, did easy over 200 km/h, unfortunately got totalled. we took it to a visit to relatives in east germany, you can believe the stares we got.

[ChrisC]

Original VW Beetle and Tatra 97.
Both Fiat and Alfa Romeo produced vehicles very similar to the Series II Land Rover.
ZAZ produced cars heavily influenced by the Fiat 500/600 and then the NSU Prinz.
Chinese manufacturers - countless examples....

[Garrie75]

The Alfa Matta (1951) looks like LR series II (1958-1961) ?? 🤔

[TBob]

All late model SUVs

[Stixx]

man that is soiooo true

[smtguy]

Yep. An SUV is an SUV is an SUV. All of them nondescript.

[OHCOddball]

BMW and T-Bird don't look even remotely similar in my opinion, other than they have 4 wheels and 2 doors.

[Uniquecoaches03]

I agree and my Shark is upset that it was compared to a mediocre Thunderbird. lol

[MattK]

Lol, I had to laugh when I saw that Comparison.

[Silvermane]

I own a 97 Thunderbird Sport V8 in my stable...a fantastic car...and I don't like her compared to the inferior BMW.

[Stixx]

you might wish to look at the profile . Grills not so much see your point but it is lost on the reality of the profile.

[Shermanator]

I disagree. Back when BMW came out with the 850i I did not like it and commented to many people that I thought that Ford did a better job redesigning the 6 series (t-bird) than BMW did with the design of the 8 series. I always thought that the T-Bird foof line looked like a 6 series BMW.

[Spudsly]

Looks like they had to get the token beamer pic in ...

[Ragtop69]

I have to agree with you. That was clearly a comparison born out of deadline pressure. Besides, after all the "redesigns" that the T-Bird went through before Ford was successful in completely destroying the marque, you could compare a T-Bird to almost everything from a sports car to a Lincoln to a Fairmont to a Mustang.

[DT]

I agree 100%

[Dggumby]

Totally agree…

[Buddy8746]

Someone PLEASE confirm that my 2006 GTO looks somewhat like a BMW E46 M3 Coupe! It could save my relationship with my eldest son...

[bemrfst]

It looks like a Chevy Cavalier! That is why they didn't sell well...

[mpzz]

It looked like every other rounded off, wedge-shaped car on the road, then and now.

[DvSuton]

The 2 nissans shouldn't be on here. Both are just rebodied sentras that, in all areas, are a failure for anything but a cheap rental counter vehicle people get stuck with

[gfviperman]

The Ferrari 296 is beyond beautiful ... the Lotus was very good-looking .... there is some similarity ... interesting ...

[MikeGreer]

The Ferrari / 124 Spider comparison would look a lot better if you had a picture of an original early Fiat spider rather than one that is a restomod with a poor bumper backdate. Although the Fiat 124 spider clearly shared the same design studio and takes many front end design cues from the 275 GTS, the back of the Fiat comes from the Pininfarina Rondine prototype. That resemblance is unmistakable.

[Tjaarda17]

That is a good comparison between the Rondine and the 124 and it is because the same designer did both. Tom Tjaarda.

[Cordoc]

2013 Jaguar XK and 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish look remarkably the same and since I own the Jag, I don't mind being mistaken for owning an Aston Martin

[SilentBoy741]

Not one entry from China? That market is rife with Western knock-off designs, either accidental or... otherwise.

[Garrie75]

Nothing in China is accidental😉

[DUB6]

Or do you mean "Nothing in China is occidental"?  😃

[Iso_Grifo]

I hadn't thought of it until this article, but BMW seems to have taken its styling for the original 2 series (1600 / 2002) from the NSU Prinz (only with single lights). The Prinz looks a lot more like a 2002 than it does a Corvair in my opinion.

[Stixx]

I agree with the assessments except for the two nisson similars since it was obvious they were penned by the same company designers, kind of a no brainer. BUT the others are hilarious to recall and I actually owned three of the "doppelgängers" myself and loved them .

My first two cars were 544 volvos and drove them for many miles even though they had over 100K when I first got them. The Fiat 124 Spyder was a 71 model which was arguably the best of the lot and no surprise the similarity to ferrari similarity and if you want even more a copy look at the first dino before the race looking one , as they were all penned by Pinin Farina . Then there was the Thunderbird/ I bought a 94 Thunderbird because I always wanted a BMW coupe six series which a client of mine drove and found the bird to be a good substitute. Ironically all three cars in my history were long long long term rides which were owned for many years. The latest fiat spyder is a good recreation of that classic shape from the 124 years . Fun article bravo

[Stixx]

lest i forget to mention, the current model Mustang Bullitt ford is very similar to the Aston Vanquish particularly in profile. This is from someone who loves both cars and actually bought the Bullitt recently as I could not resist the package and reminiscence of the Aston arguably the most beautiful GT sport car ever penned. Current iterations not withstanding.

[SuperDeLuxe]

I have always thought the 2nd gen Corvair and 1st gen Camaro looked more than a little similar. Same DNA if you will.

[AlH]

67-68 Camaro and original Ford Maverick

2001-2004 Hyundai Sonata and Jaguar X Type

[mpzz]

It was the '70-on Camaro that looked like a Maverick. What a disappointment that was when it finally appeared in mid-year.

[JoeMGA]

These comparisons remind me of a question I've had for years. Given that design language is always evolving and trending in ways that can be predicted, and that design elements take years to be introduced to mass production, how do major manufacturers know they won't introduce an element (e.g., a grill or tail light) that looks exactly the same as another manufacturer's? Do they ever share info about what's going to hit the market in a year or two?

[Wedgewood]

The Auto Union 1000 SP angle in that picture looks just like our old 1960 Buick Invicta!

[Bmorgue]

The Ford/Hudson Jet comparison struck a chord of nostalgia for me.

I became an auto enthusiast at nine years old when I saw the new 1959 Impala. My great-grandfather drove a 1953 Jet, and I recall thinking how similar it was to a contemporaneous Ford.

[RJ]

How about the Rover P5 and the Volvo 122? Lower the front end sheet-metal and grill opening and widen the center bar of the grill.

[Kako-D-Cat]

Any mid engined badly put together Ferrari and a skip (dumpster). Both accelerate at the same rate when pushed off a cliff!!!

[Sgvette11]

Lol, someone desperately has an envy problem over not being able to afford something.

[Studenorton]

No kidding! Those Dempsters are getting to be out of sight!

[bemrfst]

Well, when you get down to it they all look alike with four wheels. Yes some of these do look like clones but others aren't even in the same league.

[Jsim1]

The Sunbeam Alpine is very similar to the 1957 Thunderbird. I guess Auto Union is not the only ones to copy the T Bird.

[DaveVan]

A buddy in high school had the Volvo and even back then I thought it was a 48 Ford left out in the rain!!!! He had big 50 series tires on the back with muffler clamps on the shocks to keep the car off the tires. It was a TOUGH little car!!! Now I own a 46 Ford and have come full circle.

[aschenbloedel62]

check out suzuki suzulight and Lloyd 400 Alexander (Germany) from the 50s

[zmega]

Mercedes SL (R129) and Fox body Mustang.