Most people think of sports cars, supercars and luxury cars as existing in a completely separate world from the mundane vehicles that take us from A to B: expensive, fast, and loud, they usually occupy an entirely different part of the automotive market. However, on some occasions, the two worlds collide.

Murcielago

Model

Murcielago

Segment

Coupe

Base MSRP

$354,000

As automakers collaborate, merge, and share parts to keep costs down, there have been several examples across history of supercars, such as the Lamborghini Murciélago, using parts from much more affordable vehicles. These components usually tend to be smaller ones, such as lights or buttons. Let’s have a look at ten sports cars and luxury cars that share parts with a cheaper vehicle.

1

2014-2020 Alfa Romeo 4C

Door Mirrors: 2007-2024 Fiat 500

Next up is Alfa’s mid-engined, round-eyed sports car, the 4C. First introduced in concept form at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the 4C was on sale between the 2014 and 2020 model years. The 4C was initially only available as a coupe, but soon after its launch a spider body style also became available.

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The 4C takes many of its materials and tech from another Alfa Romeo model, the 8C Competizione. There is, however, one other car from the Stellantis family that the 4C has borrowed from, the humble Fiat 500: the diminutive city runabout shares its door mirrors with the Alfa.

2

2002-2010 Lamborghini Murciélago

Front Side Indicators: Mk1 Ford Focus

Next up is an even more unlikely pair. Most car enthusiasts are familiar with the Lamborghini Murciélago: the successor to the Diablo, and in turn succeeded by the Aventador, the Murciélago was on sale between 2002 and 2010. With its striking, angular silhouette, scissor doors and traditionally loud Lamborghini colors, the Murciélago is hard to miss.

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However, there is one minor component of the Murciélago that comes from a far more ordinary vehicle: the side indicator lights for the Murciélago sold in the European market were borrowed from the Ford Focus. (In the American version, the side indicator was differently designed and located). Should you own a Euro-spec Murciélago and need a replacement, one of these lights will set you back around $250 when sourced through Lamborghini, but the equivalent part bought through Ford will sit around the $20 mark.

3

2000-2008 Noble M12

Taillights: Mk1 (Pre-Facelift) Ford Mondeo

This car is a little less known than the others: produced by a relatively obscure, low-volume British automaker which does not have much of a presence in the US, the Noble M12 was the second Noble model ever produced. The company in charge of importing M12s to the States, Rossion Automotive, bought the rights to the car and released their own improved version, the Rossion Q1.

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A British sports car with a small production run may not sound like it might have anything in common with a mass-produced Korean mid-size sedan, but that’s exactly the case with the M12. Its taillights are borrowed from the pre-facelift first-generation Ford Mondeo.

4

2006-2007 Noble M400

Taillights: Hyundai Sonata (fourth-gen, post-facelift)

The next entry is yet another of Noble’s creations. The M400, which arrived in 2004, four years after the M12, is a mid-engined sports car designed in the UK and manufactured in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The M400 is based on the M12, but adds a number of performance and safety upgrades such as forged pistons, upgraded turbochargers, new shocks, and an anti-roll bar. It was also rarer than the M12: only 75 units of the M400 were built over the course of two years.

Like the M12, the M400 also borrows its taillights from an unlikely source: the fourth-generation Hyundai Sonata, more specifically the facelifted version produced between 2001 and 2004.

5

2003-2005 MG XPower SV

Taillights: Fiat Coupe

This curious sports car is not one of MG’s best known models. It was first introduced in concept form in 2001. Production began two years later; however, the production process was highly complex and fraught with issues. Only 82 units were produced, and nine sold, before MG Rover went into administration in 2005.

The XPower SV was a melting pot of several different models and countries: designed in the UK and manufactured in Italy, using the platform from the Qvale Mangusta (which in turn borrowed parts from the Mustang). Its lights, however, were borrowed from Fiat models: the headlights from the Punto, and the taillights from the Fiat Coupe.

6

1999-2001 Lamborghini Diablo

Headlights: Nissan 300ZX

(specs refer to post-facelift model)

Before the Murcielago, there was its predecessor: the Diablo, another Lamborghini that borrowed parts from a different car. This rear-engined supercar was produced between 1990 and 2001. This time, rather than the side indicator lights, it’s the taillights that have been sourced externally.

In 1999, the Diablo family received a facelift, and the entry-level model was eliminated from the lineup. The SV trim became the new base model, and the pop-up headlights that had previously characterized the Diablo were replaced with fixed headlights borrowed from the Nissan 300ZX. The Diablo VT Coupe and Roadster also received the same headlight modification.

7

1976-2004 Lotus Esprit

Taillights: Rover SD1 / Toyota Corolla Levin AE86

(specs refer to Esprit X180)

One of Lotus’ most iconic models, the wedge-shaped Esprit was in production from 1976 to 2004, with a total of 10,675 units built. It cemented its place in pop culture thanks to its appearance as a futuristic amphibious vehicle in The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth installment in the James Bond movie franchise. The second-generation (S2) version of the Esprit was unveiled in 1978, and sourced its taillights from the SD1, a Rover sedan which had arrived on the market two years earlier.

A decade later the X180 version of the Esprit was released: this time, the team at Lotus borrowed the rectangular taillights from the Toyota Corolla Levin AE86, the sibling of the iconic AE86 Sprinter Trueno. These taillights remained throughout the following version (S4), introduced in 1994. They were eventually replaced for the Esprit’s final version, which arrived in 2002.

8

1994-2004 Aston Martin DB7

Taillights: Mazda 323F

Next up is the Aston Martin DB7, a luxury grand tourer produced between 1994 and 2004. The DB7 borrowed its taillights from the Mazda 323F; however, they were not the only component of the DB7 to be sourced from elsewhere. The DB7 was a veritable patchwork blanket of parts, sourced from a variety of brands and models.

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The exterior door handles were also borrowed from the Mazda 323, the front indicator lenses came from the MX-3, and the side reflectors and interior door handles came from the MX-5. Some parts came from brands other than Mazda: the wing mirrors were sourced from the Citroën CX, while the interior door mirror switches were shared with the Ford Scorpio.

9

2009-2021 Lotus Evora

Side mirrors: Proton Saga

(specs refer to Evora 400)

The Lotus Evora was a V6-powered sports car produced by Lotus between 2009 and 2021. It was based on the first new Lotus platform since the debut of the Elise fifteen years earlier. The version of the Evora relevant to our list is the 400, produced between 2015 and 2018.

The Evora 400 borrowed its side mirrors from a very unusual car: the Saga, a four-door sedan produced by Malaysian automaker Proton. More specifically, the model that provided the Evora’s side mirrors was the second generation of the Saga, produced between 2008 and 2010. While the first generation of the Saga had been a successful model that lasted 23 years on the market; the second-generation model, on the other hand, did not enjoy the same degree of success, and only had a brief production run. The Saga name was brought back six years later for a third generation, launched in 2016.

10

2017-2024 Maserati Levante

Start button: Dodge Ram truck family

Last of all is the Maserati Levante, a luxury crossover produced between 2017 and 2024. The Levante prides itself on embodying Italian style and providing its passengers with a high-end travel experience; however, if you take a closer look at the interior, you will find a few elements that have been fished out of the Stellantis parts bin.

The Maserati’s “Start” button and its window switches were sourced from vehicles that do not have much in common with the Levante at all: the Ram truck family. However, you would have to be exceptionally eagle-eyed, or in the know, to be able to notice. We’ll let you be the judge of whether or not the odd Ram part is enough to stop you from buying a Levante of your own.

Sources: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Noble, MG, Lotus, Aston Martin.