Raiding the parts bin
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shed driver

Original Poster:

2,783 posts

180 months

Thursday
quotequote all
One of the common traits of the motor industry has been using parts from other models (and manufacturers). Door handles from the Marina were used on the Lotus Esprit, the Jaguar XJ220 used Citroen CX mirrors. What other examples are there, and which was being used for the longest period after the original donor was discontinued?

SD.

Bomma 996

15,302 posts

145 months

Thursday
quotequote all
I believe the Pagani Zonda was fitted with a climate control unit from the Rover 45.

Sebring440

2,970 posts

116 months

Thursday
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shed driver said:
One of the common traits of the motor industry has been using parts from other models (and manufacturers). Door handles from the Marina were used on the Lotus Esprit, the Jaguar XJ220 used Citroen CX mirrors. What other examples are there, and which was being used for the longest period after the original donor was discontinued?
In the industry, it's called "carry-over", and has been standard practice for decades.

So quite difficult to answer your question!

Here's an obscure one for you: the Jensen S-V8 also used Citroen door mirrors, and Corvette brake calipers! (And a Ford Cobra SVT engine...)



MattsCar

1,954 posts

125 months

Thursday
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Ahhh not this again.


Mr Tidy

28,378 posts

147 months

Thursday
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A Ferrari Daytona had the same handbrake lever as a Fiat 125.

Sebring440

2,970 posts

116 months

Thursday
quotequote all
MattsCar said:
Ahhh not this again.
Poor bd.

richhead

2,837 posts

31 months

Bomma 996 said:
I believe the Pagani Zonda was fitted with a climate control unit from the Rover 45.
I had a rover 45, and it had a very good climate system

rodericb

8,325 posts

146 months

Bomma 996 said:
I believe the Pagani Zonda was fitted with a climate control unit from the Rover 45.
The Lamborghini Diablo had it too yeah?

Mr Ben

299 posts

197 months

I’ve got a TVR Chimaera… guess it’s a long list biggrin

Lotobear

8,406 posts

148 months

I could bore you for hours on the parts carry over on the original Elan and Plus 2.


Dapster

8,521 posts

200 months

Caterham in 2025




Still using these from 50 years ago...



And dashboard swtiches...



More 70's BL



Edited by Dapster on Friday 12th December 10:26

Castrol for a knave

6,651 posts

111 months


A lot of it is not so much from a specific car, but from the Valeo or Bosch catalogue. Parts suppliers will often get parts homologated and EU approved then offer them into the supply chain.

Styling led parts like lights might vary, but a lot of general parts, especially switchgear, is lifted straight from the "catalogue".

robemcdonald

9,650 posts

216 months

Lamborghini mucrielargo (sorry about the spelling I couldn’t be bothered to check) has MK1 focus side repeaters.


LightweightLouisDanvers

2,650 posts

63 months

Discovery 1 used a lot of old BL stuff, Marina door handles, Metro switchgear, Maestro van rear lights, i know the headlights were from another BL product, Sherpa perhaps? Mini handbrake lever/ grip. (This has been used in a multitude of different cars, and even the orange space rocket built by Wallace and Grommit!, look out for it, it will probably be on at Christmas). Probably loads more but those just off the top of my head.

Benmac

1,616 posts

236 months

rodericb said:
The Lamborghini Diablo had it too yeah?
Yep, although it wasn’t specifically designed for the Rover. It was a generic climate control panel produced by an Italian company that they all just happened to buy IIRC.

cobra kid

5,464 posts

260 months

MattsCar said:
Ahhh not this again.
Yep, it's happening....

ThingsBehindTheSun

2,753 posts

51 months

MattsCar said:
Ahhh not this again.
I thought the exact same thing. Aston Martin DB7, MX5 door handles plus loads of other parts from Fords.

m3cs

377 posts

193 months

ThingsBehindTheSun said:
I thought the exact same thing. Aston Martin DB7, MX5 door handles plus loads of other parts from Fords.
Mazda 323f rear lights on the db7

CraigyMc

18,019 posts

256 months

shed driver said:
One of the common traits of the motor industry has been using parts from other models (and manufacturers). Door handles from the Marina were used on the Lotus Esprit, the Jaguar XJ220 used Citroen CX mirrors. What other examples are there, and which was being used for the longest period after the original donor was discontinued?

SD.
Lotus stopped building the elise and exige at the very end of 2021. The wing mirrors of all of them are off a Rover Metro, circa 1990-1998, so that's ~31 years from start of the relevant generation of Metro production. Lotus were still fitting them ~23 years from the point the donor car stopped production in 1998.




crofty1984

16,657 posts

224 months

Bomma 996 said:
I believe the Pagani Zonda was fitted with a climate control unit from the Rover 45.
Aye.