# cars separated at birth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171 "2010-10-24T07:08:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/1 "2010-10-24T07:08:54Z")
The AMC Hornet [http://www.carhobby.com/71aPCh.JPG](http://www.carhobby.com/71aPCh.JPG) The Morris Marina [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/1976.morris.marina.arp.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/1976.morris.marina.arp.jpg) Aside from the wheel arches and front grille, they appear to be the same vehicle. Was one built under liscence from the other and sharing mechanicles, or is it just an example of coincidental parallel engineering? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/2 "2010-10-24T07:12:13Z")
There are countless examples of that sort of thing. You need only look up the terms “badge engineering” and “captive imports”. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/3 "2010-10-24T08:24:51Z")
No, they don’t look alike. At all. ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/4 "2010-10-24T09:06:20Z")
The hornet is quite a bit bigger than a marina, completely different design, and with the Marina you run the risk of a piano being dropped on your car. That never happens to a Hornet that I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/5 "2010-10-24T14:36:10Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > No, they don’t look alike. At all. This. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/6 "2010-10-24T14:56:35Z")
Humph. Must be the door handles. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/7 "2010-10-25T01:51:25Z")
The Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus are the winners, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/8 "2010-10-25T03:28:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus are the winners, I think. Doesn’t really count as they are exactly the same car with different name badges. How about an [MGB](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://oixmpq.blu.livefilestore.com/y1m1p-Gfi4kHpLHU0XCFbrYfuELM_CP6CPV4magDKg9Ndd2gkz9D2VU3U5WagxFxqyVXXdrCGaKyDCoOhf81OOxclsXW2y1OEMpUJfV28FtSnq-d_EHOSUBkuWlO116MV9hmx7d5ey2zqQ/MGB%255B9%255D.jpg&imgrefurl=http://msnukcars.spaces.live.com/%3F_c11_BlogPart_pagedir%3DNext%26_c11_BlogPart_handle%3Dcns!9147D27F85A04C56!9081%26_c11_BlogPart_BlogPart%3Dblogview%26_c%3DBlogPart%26partqs%3Dcat%253DNews&usg=__U0dEVLfZIksem_ssbxXSEHllDQ4=&h=427&w=640&sz=87&hl=en&start=40&zoom=1&tbnid=G-JCaUXA3P3BtM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=195&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmgb%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1156%26bih%3D762%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1254&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=255&vpy=161&dur=2781&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=120&ty=116&ei=MPjETLO6NJS4sAOfu8zqCw&oei=IvjETJ-6BYuisAOQj9z4DQ&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:40&biw=1156&bih=762) and a [Datsun 1600](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/1969_Datsun_1600_Fairlady_Roadster_Rear_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bringatrailer.com/2007/05/30/very-clean-restored-datsun-1600-fairlady-roadster/&h=312&w=480&sz=139&tbnid=RkYhRula48dsnM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddatsun%2B1600%2Broadster&zoom=1&q=datsun+1600+roadster&usg=__SqsLGi2S5mp7XGOG404C0G7hhD8=&sa=X&ei=9ffETITjCoG-sQP58tXzCw&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAg) ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/9 "2010-10-25T17:55:01Z")
> [@bdgr](#): > > The hornet is quite a bit bigger than a marina, completely different design, and with the Marina you run the risk of a piano being dropped on your car. Only if you’re James May. Richard Hammond had a piano pre-positioned on the roof only as a preventive measure 😛 That said, a lot of sedans from around the turn of this century (and heck, even up to today) look similar (Asian, European, N. American, etc) due to coalescing around a standard rounded aerodynamic shape (think it’s call the teardrop shape, used to be called jellybean shape when the Ford Taurus more or less introduced it way back when), so much that without looking at the grill/front end of a given vehicle it was hard to determine what company manufactured it. At one model year, the rear ends of a Jaguar and a Hyundai looked frightening similar. Made me chuckle at commercials back then featuring owners of such cars (?Mercedes ? BMW? Audi? Lexus? don’t remember), who would re-position mirrors or Security cameras or whatever to gaze at their generic shaped vehicles all day - hey buddy, you don’t own a Plymouth Prowler or Retro Ford T-Bird or Chevy SSR or any other vehicle that at least looks unique, regardless of the performance… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/10 "2010-10-25T18:12:25Z")
A [2005 KIA Amanti](http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2005-kia-amanti.htm) and a [2005 Chrysler 300](http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_news041117_coty/index.html). More or less. If you see the Amanti coming straight at you, it looks more similar. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/11 "2010-10-25T18:17:32Z")
I don’t think the cars in the OP look much alike either, frankly, except that they’re both shaped like cars from the 70’s. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/12 "2010-10-25T18:34:37Z")
Some of you might find this amusing: [Mediocrity](http://www.subaru.com/content/static/fightmediocrity/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-separated-at-birth/558171/13 "2010-10-25T19:12:26Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Only if you’re James May. Richard Hammond had a piano pre-positioned on the roof only as a preventive measure 😛 > > … True, but it still didn’t save him in the end, did it?