Brothers From Another Mother: Copycat Car Designs That Sometimes Outshined the Originals

Seeing as how risk-averse they can be-and how many dollars are riding on automotive investments-car companies love nothing more than to take advantage of a popular concept or emerging trend and ride it as long as they possibly can. But it takes time to bring a car to market, and there’s often an early innovator and a clear copycat model that shows up in dealerships a few years later. Sometimes, the trailblazer keeps the advantage, but in other cases the later arrival steals the looks, the sales, and the pop culture cred from the originator.

Here are five sets of car design “twins” that went head to head for the mind-space of enthusiasts, customers, and automotive historians by way of their remarkable similarities and often, their very different fates.

Chevrolet Corvette C3 vs. Opel GT

Trailblazer: The third-generation Chevrolet Corvette, or C3, is known for having the longest production run in the famed sports car’s history, lasting from 1968 all the way until 1982. During that time, its slinky bodywork concealed all manner of engine options, ranging from ferocious big-block V-8s to smog-choked small-blocks that could barely help it crack 100 mph with a tailwind.

An enduring design that remains instantly identifiable to this day, the C3 took the brunt of GM’s Malaise Era on the chin (perhaps necessitating the chrome bumpers that eventually replaced its original fiberglass look). Call it the “Disc-Vette” all you want: It’s a key piece of the classic badge’s history, and its styling influence is clearly visible on the C4 Corvette that replaced it.

Rival

Rival: You might be wondering how the Opel GT could be considered a follow-on to the C3 Corvette when the original concept car was shown off as early as 1965-a full three years before the Chevrolet hit the market. The answer lies in the shared origins of the two vehicles, both of which date back to the Corvette SuperSport and Mako Shark II concept cars, as well as the Pontiac Banshee (which itself directly informed the Mako Shark II).

Opel was GM’s European subsidiary, and the decision was made to take those same inspirational styling cues and shrink them down to a footprint that would be more palatable on that side of the ocean. While it couldn’t match the ’Vette in terms of performance, the design was a huge success, and it quickly became known as the “Baby Corvette.”

The Verdict

The Opel GT didn’t have the market endurance of the C3, bowing out in 1973, but it’s become a classic in its own right, especially among fans of European sports cars looking to step outside the British/Italian dichotomy that so often defines that time period.

Despite overstaying its welcome and being saddled with the dregs of the GM drivetrain catalog toward the end of its run, the third-generation Corvette is still a touchstone of that period’s esthetics and attitude, for better or worse. These two same-same styling twins battle it out to a draw when seen from a modern perspective.

Ford Mustang Fastback vs. Aston Martin V8 Series 3

Trailblazer: The Ford Mustang made a major splash in 1964 by showing American drivers that fun, cheap, and stylish didn’t have to be mutually exclusive criteria when shopping for a daily driver. To keep up with the dizzying pace of Detroit’s muscle car competition, the model underwent several redesigns over the next five years, and by 1969 it adopted a jutting grille that housed a set of driving lights, with a pair of recessed headlights framing it before leading the eye back to muscular haunches (scalloped on models like the Mach 1, which also featured a hood scoop), and a fastback roofline.

Rival

Rival: Aston Martin also introduced a fresh performance coupe in 1969, originally dubbed the DBS V8 before dropping the trio of letters to go by V8 alone starting in 1972. The car evolved the brand’s most accessible model from six-cylinder to eight-cylinder power, stretching out over a platform that was somewhat longer than that of Ford’s domestic powerhouse.

It’s the vehicle’s 1973 styling refresh, though, that pushed the Aston Martin V8 (now referred to as the Series 3) squarely into Mustang territory. Those extended proportions accentuated the car’s similar fastback hindquarters, while the recessed headlights and available in-grille driving lights offered a clear link to what seemed like American inspiration. Throw on a hood scoop, and the parallels become even more obvious.

The Verdict

Remember when former Beatle George Harrison was found guilty of “subconsciously copying” the million-selling track “He’s So Fine” by American group The Chiffons, after the release of his own sound-alike song “My Sweet Lord?” It’s easy to see how a similar case of trans-Atlantic copying occurred in the dreamscape of Aston Martin’s designers after having been exposed to the wall-to-wall popularity of the Mustang in the years leading up to the Series 3’s release.

Both cars have their strong points, but in terms of sheer power, the Mustang wears its sheetmetal better, with the Aston Martin’s more genteel approach to the same visual concept diluting it just enough to obscure it behind Detroit’s leading light in both memory and impact.

Chrysler PT Cruiser vs. Chevrolet HHR

Trailblazer: The 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser was a rare example of an affordable car rising above its modest roots in the minds of customers and becoming a minor sensation in its early years. Although it sat on roughly the same platform as the cheap-and-cheerful Dodge/Plymouth Neon, its exterior design borrowed heavily from the same template that had produced the eye-catching Plymouth Prowler just a few years beforehand, evoking a tall-fendered, sedan delivery feel that set the small wagon apart from the burgeoning crossover scene.

Coming in hot on the heels of vehicles like the Prowler and the Volkswagen New Beetle (and soon to be joined by contemporaries like the throwback Ford Thunderbird), the PT Cruiser lapped the field with its old-school looks. It also eventually added a turbocharged performance model and an unusual convertible body style to the mix, giving it legitimate speed and tanning capability on top of its nice price. Although often derided today for its casual approach to build quality and its questionable interior plastics, there’s no denying the power the PT Cruiser had on pop culture during the earliest years of its decade-long production run.

Rival

Rival: General Motors took one look across town and realized it didn’t want to be left out of the ’40s hot rod style fest going on at Chrysler. That being said, by the time the Chevrolet HHR arrived on the scene, nearly five years had passed since the PT Cruiser’s introduction, and potential buyers were already getting weary of brand-new cars that looked like they’d passed through a time machine.

The HHR resembled a PT Cruiser whose roofline and fenders had been flattened by committee. Although a drop-top never happened, Chevrolet did make a turbocharged model available, helping it stay alongside the PT Cruiser in a straight line. A similarly low-quality interior and shaky reputation for reliability further kept the Chrysler and the Chevrolet in close quarters.

The Verdict

It’s possible that the HHR’s inability to truly commit to the bit, combined with bad timing, was the biggest part of what kept it from catching on with customers. Arriving as a laggard on the scene meant Chevy’s compact wagon, it was always seen as a copycat. Unable to differentiate itself from the PT Cruiser in any meaningful way, the model had a much shorter lifespan and today is a mere footnote from a time everyone associated with Chrysler’s curiosity.

Mini Cooper vs. Fiat 500

Trailblazer: When BMW took over England’s Rover portfolio at the end of the 1990s, the original Mini Cooper was struggling to stay relevant in a world where subcompacts were viewed as disposable daily drivers. Lagging the field in terms of technology and performance, Mini saw its entire image flipped upside down when BMW introduced a completely new take on the classic hatchback.

Arriving in 2002, the new Mini Cooper highlighted the original model’s looks while transforming it from basic transportation to a premium-priced style icon, aided and abetted by the era’s retro design craze. Infused with new life and boasting a major boost in equipment and comfort, the Cooper went on to spawn an entire lineup of reimagined Minis that continue to generate significant profits for BMW to this day, some 25 years later.

Rival

Rival: When it arrived in 2008, the Fiat 500 represented a similar revival of a beloved subcompact hatchback, this time hailing from Italy rather than the U.K. There was another key difference: The 500 had been out of production since the mid-1970s, which made its resurrection less of a continuation and more of a fresh start for a car company seeking a design-forward, affordable entry point for its return to the American market.

Aimed at a more price-conscious customer, the pint-sized 500 still featured an available performance edition (the Abarth) to compete against the Cooper S and John Cooper Works models built by Mini. It also attempted a similar lineup expansion with the chunky 500L and tall-riding 500X crossovers eventually joining it in the showroom, presenting unusual takes on the standard 500’s ’60s styling vibe.

The Verdict

Fiat clearly cribbed from the Mini redux when putting together its 500 campaign. However, the Italian automaker’s focus on price, versus BMW’s decision to take the Mini upmarket, saw the paths of the two thematically similar designs diverge significantly.

The Fiat 500’s materials and construction made its value proposition clear, as did the relative lack of investment in keeping the model fresh over the years it was on sale in North America. Mini, on the other hand, strove to instill a class-above image in its cabin and comportment, and it seemed like there was no end to the number of redesigns, special editions, and familial offshoots pouring into showrooms.

The end result? The Fiat 500 of today doesn’t feel all that different than it did 20 years ago, minus the electric drivetrain now available with the 500E, and as the buying public has moved away from subcompact hatchbacks toward SUVs, it’s been largely left behind. The Mini Cooper, on the other hand, manages to exist in a unique bubble, buoyed by a loyal customer base eager to absorb ever-larger models as long as they stay true to a few original elements of Mini’s design heritage.

Scion xB vs. Nissan Cube

Trailblazer: The Scion xB’s genesis is a little complicated. Although Americans got their first taste of this toaster-shaped subcompact when Toyota’s newest brand launched here in 2003, it had been in production in Japan as the Toyota bB since 2000. Featuring simple, upright styling that boasted a tall greenhouse, slab sides, and a flat front, the xB was an instant hit for the nascent Scion badge,and quickly became the most familiar representation of the automaker for style-focused shoppers seeking an affordable and practical ride.

Rival

Rival: Nissan had been selling a vehicle called the Cube in Japan since the late 1990s, as well, but it didn’t really live up to its moniker until it was redesigned around 2002. It’s here that it adopted a very similar shape to the same-market Toyota bB, albeit with a different take at the rear, where wrap-around rear glass on one side contributed to the vehicle’s asymmetry (and stood out compared to the bB’s more traditional simplicity).

The company never intended to sell the Cube outside of Japan, but the success of the xB no doubt pushed it to reconsider. By the time the Cube arrived in America in 2009, Scion had moved the xB to a more conventional look, effectively ceding the design-first subcompact MPV space to its competitor.

The Verdict

The xB vs. Cube question is perhaps the most unique head-to-head matchup on this list. While there’s no denying Nissan was directly inspired by Toyota/Scion’s success, it went in such a unique direction with its own interpretation of the concept that it manages to stand tall on its own, both at the time it was on sale and now, decades later.

Both the Cube and the xB are unforgettable shapes that remind us of a time when automakers were more willing to take risks with outside-the-box boxes aimed at budget-conscious buyers who didn’t want to shortchange themselves on design.