Developing a new car from scratch is an incredibly expensive undertaking. Automakers pour vast resources into research, development, production, rigorous testing, and extensive marketing campaigns. These costs can strain even the largest manufacturers. For smaller, niche brands, the financial burden of creating an entirely new vehicle independently is often insurmountable.
It’s no surprise, then, that the automotive world is full of instances where cars borrow components from other models. From supercars using wing mirrors from everyday coupes to hypercars featuring heating controls from mass-market sedans, the history of car manufacturing is filled with fascinating and sometimes unexpected examples of shared parts.
Here, we explore some of the most memorable cases of parts-sharing in automotive history. Whether your classic car is the donor or the recipient in these scenarios, each vehicle holds its own unique place in automotive lore and is equally deserving of classic car insurance.
Lotus Esprit & Morris Marina: Door Handles
One of the most well-known examples of parts sharing involves the iconic, wedge-shaped Lotus Esprit and the more pedestrian Morris Marina. This futuristic sports car famously used door handles from the humble Morris Marina, among other British vehicles.
Alt text: Side view of a silver 1999 Lotus Esprit V8 Type 918 parked, highlighting its sleek, angular design and the shared Morris Marina door handle.
However, this connection isn’t as strange as it initially seems. Lotus, while renowned for its innovative and exciting cars, has often operated with limited financial resources. Utilizing Morris Marina door handles was a pragmatic cost-saving measure, typical of the brand’s resourceful approach. This wasn’t an isolated incident; the first generation Lotus Elise even incorporated headlamps from the Renault 4.
The Morris Marina’s door handles, designed by Harris Mann, the British Leyland stylist also responsible for the Austin Allegro and Triumph TR7, were simple, efficient, and designed to sit flush with the bodywork. Beyond the Marina, these handles were also used on the Allegro and TR7. In the late 1970s, they appeared across Lotus’s striking wedge-shaped lineup, including the Esprit, Eclat, and Elite. Even the Range Rover adopted these handles when it introduced a five-door model in 1981.
Aston Martin DBS & Hillman Hunter: Rear Lights
Aston Martin, much like Lotus, is a prestigious British marque with a rich sporting heritage and notable James Bond associations. However, like Lotus, Aston Martin hasn’t always had unlimited funds.
The Aston Martin DBS grand tourer, produced from 1967 to 1972, stands as one of their most elegant designs. It was a strong competitor to cars like the Jaguar E-Type, Jensen Interceptor, Alfa Romeo Montreal, and Citroen SM.
Unlike the DB6 before it, the DBS was a true GT, offering four full-sized seats and a commanding presence. While almost every aspect of the DBS exuded sophistication and luxury, keen observers noticed a striking similarity between its rear lights and those of the commonplace Hillman Hunter saloon. Despite their humble origins, the Hillman Hunter rear lights actually complemented the DBS’s design quite effectively.
Whether you’re a proud owner of a Hillman Hunter or an Aston Martin DBS, ensuring your classic vehicle is protected with classic car insurance is essential.
Jaguar XJ 220 & Citroen CX: Wing Mirrors
The Jaguar XJ 220, an early 1990s supercar, is perhaps best remembered for briefly holding the title of the world’s fastest production car in 1992 and 1993. During track tests in 1993, it reached a blistering 217 mph. This incredible machine is a source of well-deserved pride for Jaguar.
Yet, like many ambitious supercar projects, cost-saving measures were necessary to make the XJ 220 a reality. In this instance, the XJ 220 adopted its wing mirrors from the Citroen CX executive sedan.
Why the Citroen CX mirrors? The CX’s mirrors were designed to be mounted separately from the door, unlike many integrated designs. This made them easily adaptable to other vehicles. The XJ 220 wasn’t the only high-end sports car to utilize CX mirrors; they also appeared on the Lotus Esprit V8, Aston Martin Virage, and TVR Griffith.
Interestingly, the XJ 220 also borrowed its rear lights from the Rover 200. A closer look at the rear of the Jaguar reveals how surprisingly well the Rover lights integrate into the design.
Pagani Zonda & Rover 45: HVAC Controls
This is a particularly amusing example of parts sharing. The Pagani Zonda, a high-performance supercar, burst onto the scene in 1999 with immense power and agility. Its six and seven-liter engines, sourced from Mercedes – typically used in larger luxury cars like the S-Class – delivered ferocious performance in the lightweight Zonda.
The Zonda also boasted striking, futuristic styling, both inside and out. Its cutting-edge design might have distracted most drivers from noticing that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controls were sourced from the far more ordinary Rover 45 compact sedan. Did the Rover’s HVAC controls seem out of place in this six-figure supercar? Possibly, but the Zonda offered so many other extraordinary details that most owners likely overlooked this detail.
Aston Martin DB7 & Mazda 323: Rear Lights
Another Aston Martin example, but this one from a different era with a slightly different backstory.
The DB7 was the first Aston Martin produced under Ford’s ownership. Ford acquired Aston Martin in 1989, injecting much-needed capital into the prestigious but financially constrained sports car brand. The DB7, a worthy successor to the DB6 of the late 1960s (after a 25-year gap), was the first major project to benefit from this new financial stability.
However, Ford’s contribution wasn’t just financial. Ford also had a significant stake in Mazda, providing Aston Martin designers access to a wide range of reliable Japanese components. Aston Martin chose to use the rear lights from the dependable Mazda 323 hatchback on the new DB7.
Using parts from a small family hatchback on a grand touring car might seem unusual, but the logic is understandable. The 323’s rear lights are quite elegant, featuring an attractive wraparound design that worked surprisingly well on the larger Aston.
Aston Martin cleverly concealed the Mazda origins by integrating the lights under plastic cowlings, giving the DB7’s rear lights a more bespoke and sporty appearance, making the shared part easily missed.
Mercedes SLR McLaren & Mercedes Sprinter: Indicator Switches
Fittingly for the company that created the first production automobile, Mercedes-Benz produces a diverse range of vehicles, from cars and trucks to vans. At opposite ends of this spectrum are the incredible SLR McLaren supercar and the practical Sprinter commercial van. Remarkably, these vastly different vehicles share the same indicator switches. The utilitarian Sprinter van donated its plastic column stalks to the high-performance SLR when it debuted in 2003.
This might seem like a comical mismatch, but it was a practical decision for Mercedes-Benz. The technologically advanced and high-performing SLR McLaren was an expensive car to produce, necessitating cost savings. And, realistically, the indicator switch is one component where ultimate luxury and bespoke design are not essential.
TVR Griffith & Vauxhall Cavalier MkIII: Rear Lights
British sports car manufacturer TVR had a successful period in the 1990s, notably with the Griffith, a front-engined, rear-wheel drive, V8-powered roadster. This powerful and engaging car quickly gained a dedicated following among driving enthusiasts.
Alt text: Angled front view of a red Vauxhall Cavalier MkIII parked on a street, showcasing its 1990s design and the source of the TVR Griffith’s inverted rear lights.
As a smaller manufacturer without the economies of scale of larger companies, TVR sourced components from various suppliers. The Griffith featured a 240bhp 4.0-liter Rover V8 engine, a five-speed Rover gearbox, and electrical components from Range Rover. Beyond its impressive performance – the 4.0-liter engine was later joined by a 5.0-liter option producing up to 340bhp – the Griffith was also visually striking. Its clean, simple lines echoed classic 1960s British roadsters like the Lotus Elan.
The Griffith was aesthetically pleasing from all angles. From the rear, only the most observant would notice that the taillights were sourced from the MkIII Vauxhall Cavalier and ingeniously inverted!
Today, a serviceable Griffith might cost around £15,000, with well-maintained examples selling for £20,000 or more. Proper maintenance and classic vehicle insurance are essential to protect these vintage British supercars.
Volvo 760 & Alpine A310: Engines
This is an intriguing pairing: a large, executive Volvo sedan sharing an engine with a futuristic French sports coupe.
The Volvo 760 represented Volvo’s move into the luxury market. While its predecessor, the robust Volvo 240, was a standard family car (albeit a famously safe one), the 760 targeted the segment occupied by the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Featuring electric windows, traction control, and air conditioning, the 760 was a well-equipped 1980s sedan.
The 760 also used a 2.8-liter V6 engine – known as the PRV V6, a joint project between Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. Another beneficiary of this potent V6 was the Alpine A310, from Renault’s sports car division. The A310 was initially designed with a four-cylinder engine, like its A110 predecessor. However, increased weight in the new model revealed that four cylinders wouldn’t provide the performance drivers expected.
To boost performance, the A310 received the same engine as the larger Volvo. In its most powerful form, the PRV V6 allowed the A310 to reach a top speed of 137 mph – likely exceeding the needs of safety-conscious Volvo drivers. Two very different cars, a speed-focused sports car and a safe, comfortable executive sedan, both worthy of classic car insurance.
Lotus Exige 2 & Toyota Celica: Engines
In the early 2000s, Toyota’s lineup, while known for reliability and ease of ownership, perhaps lacked excitement. Seeking to inject more performance into their range, Toyota collaborated with Yamaha to develop a high-revving engine for their Celica sports car. The result was the Toyota 2ZZ-GE, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing 180hp effortlessly.
This excellent engine caught the attention of Lotus, who wanted it for the second generation of their Exige sports car. The first-generation Exige used a Rover engine, which was adequate, but the Toyota powerplant significantly improved its successor. Lotus further enhanced the Toyota engine with their engineering expertise, increasing output to 190hp. The supercharged Exige S variant boosted power to an impressive 243hp, enabling monstrous speeds in the lightweight sports car.
Rover 75 V8 & Koenigsegg CC8S: Engines
When Rover introduced a V8 engine to the Rover 75 sedan in 2004, it was their first eight-cylinder car since the last V8 Rover SD1 models in 1986.
Beyond the two-decade gap, there was another key difference between these high-performance Rovers. The SD1 used Rover’s own V8 engine (the legendary engine also used in the Range Rover). The Rover 75, however, used a long-serving Ford V8 engine.
The 4.6-liter Ford “Modular” V8 had been used in various large, luxurious American Ford and Lincoln vehicles, including the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car. As its name suggests, the Ford V8 was highly adaptable and tunable, offering a wide range of power outputs. In the Rover 75 V8, it produced a respectable 256bhp.
Around the same time, Swedish designer Christian von Koenigsegg was developing a hypercar and needed a suitable engine. After considering Audi and Subaru, Koenigsegg turned to Ford and their adaptable “Modular” V8. However, for the Koenigsegg application, the engine was twin-supercharged, resulting in an astonishing 655hp, a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of 240 mph.
The Rover 75 is a relatively common car for which classic vehicle insurance is often sought.
McLaren F1 & VW Corrado: Wing Mirrors
This is a particularly fitting example. The VW Corrado, a nimble and engaging sports coupe, is a well-regarded 1990s sports car. It is a testament to its design that a component from the Corrado found its way onto one of the most celebrated supercars of all time, the McLaren F1.
Beautifully engineered and incredibly fast, the McLaren F1 broke numerous world records in the 1990s and remains the fastest naturally aspirated production car ever built. Only 106 F1s were produced, making it both exclusive and revered.
The F1 took four years to develop, requiring immense planning and expertise. However, budget constraints meant that some non-essential parts were sourced from other vehicles. Besides the VW Corrado wing mirrors, the F1 also famously used tail lights from a large Dutch-built Bova Futura coach.
Panther De Ville & Austin Maxi: Doors
The opulent and retro Panther De Ville, when launched in 1974, famously cost more than a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. This large luxury car was inspired by the Bugatti Royale, an ultra-exclusive late 1920s luxury car with only seven examples built. The De Ville was intended as a modern luxury performance car with a vintage aesthetic.
The De Ville ended up almost as exclusive as its inspiration, with only 60 produced between 1974 and 1985. Owners included celebrities like Elton John and Oliver Reed.
Panther likely didn’t advertise to their wealthy clientele that the De Ville, despite its lavish interior, used doors from the mass-market 1970s Austin Maxi (and the BMC ADO17 “Landcrab” before it).
Audi TT & VW Touran: Chassis
It’s hard to imagine two more different cars than the Audi TT, a small, sporty coupe with distinctive styling, and the Volkswagen Touran, a practical, boxy minivan. Yet, these two vehicles are built on the same chassis.
Audi became a wholly-owned VW subsidiary in 1966, and platform sharing between the two German automakers began in the early 1970s with the Audi 50 and first-generation VW Polo hatchbacks sharing a platform.
When the second-generation Audi TT was released in 2006, it was built on the VW Group’s versatile Group A platform, specifically the fifth generation. This platform was shared with the first-generation Touran MPV, the second-generation SEAT León, two generations of the VW Golf, and various other mid-size models within the VW Group. This makes the stylish TT and the practical Touran unlikely platform twins.
Both models are also approaching the age where they may qualify for classic car insurance.
Triumph Acclaim & Honda Ballade: Almost Everything
Including the Triumph Acclaim and Honda Ballade might be considered slightly cheating, as they are essentially the same car with different badges, rather than just sharing parts. However, subtle differences exist that distinguish the Triumph Acclaim and Honda Ballade as separate models.
By the late 1970s, British Leyland’s mid-size offerings like the Morris Marina and Austin Maxi were outdated. Their replacements, the Austin Maestro and Montego, were still in development, with the Maestro launching in 1983 and the Montego a year later. BL needed an interim model, which came in the form of the Acclaim – a front-wheel drive sedan already produced by Honda as the Ballade for the Japanese market. The Acclaim used a Honda engine and was manufactured in the UK under license from Honda.
The differences were minor but present. The Acclaim featured the Triumph badge on its grille, proudly marking it as the last model to bear the Triumph name. It also had twin carburetors compared to the Ballade’s single carburetor, and its mirrors were mounted on the front doors rather than halfway down the hood, typical of Japanese designs at the time.
Finally, the Acclaim’s interior was slightly more luxurious than its Honda counterpart. These small distinctions, along with its status as the final Triumph production car, have cultivated a devoted following for the Acclaim. Any Triumph Acclaims still on the road or in garages today deserve the protection of classic car insurance.
Classic Car Insurance from Lancaster
The examples discussed here are just a small selection from the vast range of vehicles for which Lancaster proudly provides classic car insurance. Benefits of insuring with Lancaster can include discounts for car club members up to 25% and coverage for static shows and historic rallies. Two-year agreed valuations can also be arranged.
Contact us today for a classic car insurance quote.
Policy benefits, features, and discounts may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.
