10 tempting cut-price lookalike classics

Hero style for a whole lot less cash

Has a decade of spiralling prices pushed the value of your dream 911 or other classic fantasy out of reach? Then try one of these 10 more affordable doppelgängers.

If you’re prepared to sacrifice a bit of performance, a little luxury and some bragging rights, you can often get something very similar, for a fraction of the price.

Don’t believe us? Read on…

1. Classic problem: Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (£730-950,000)

Three years after the original Gullwing appeared, Mercedes chopped off the 300SL’s top, and modified the spaceframe chassis to make room for conventional doors.

Weight was up by around 125kg, but power was up, too, to 240bhp. You had to be a movie star to afford one back in the 1950s, and it probably helps today, too...

1. Classic solution: Mercedes-Benz 190SL (£82-142,000)

If you’re despairing that you can’t fund your 300SL Roadster dream, the good news is you only need be a Z-list TV actor, not a Hollywood A-lister, to afford the visually pretty similar 190SL.

And it really is only visually similar. Under the skin, there’s no fancy spaceframe chassis or six-cylinder engine, because the 190 is based on Merc’s W121 Ponton saloon. No matter, it still looks a million dollars.

2. Classic problem: Porsche 911S (£100-120,000)

A classic Porsche 911 is top of many dream garage lists – and that’s part of the problem.

Strong demand means cars that could be picked up for £30k 15 years ago might now set you back over £100k! And, for many of us, that’s more than we can ever afford.

2. Classic solution: Porsche 912 (£37-54,000)

But if you’re prepared to sacrifice a couple of pistons, a four-cylinder 912 gives much of the same experience for less than half the outlay.

Yes, if you remember when these cars cost less than £10k, that still seems steep, but they’re lighter and not much slower than a basic 1960s 911, and most people admiring from the kerb will never be able to tell the difference.

After all, that shape is still fantastic.

3. Classic problem: Sunbeam Tiger (£70-105,000)

The poor man’s Cobra is a rich man’s plaything these days.

You could end up paying over £100k for one of the rare, desirable S2 models with the bigger 289cu in V8.

3. Classic solution: Sunbeam Alpine (£7-14,000)

If you can’t afford a Tiger, and can make do with Reliant Kitten-grade go, you could save a packet by going for the car that spawned it: the Sunbeam Alpine.

Granted, you don’t get the Tiger’s effortless pace or V8 burble, but a £90k saving sounds good to our ears and it is still a very fine classic car.

4. Classic problem: Ford Escort RS1800 (£55-75,000)

Forget the RS2000, this ’70s homologation rally weapon is the most coveted of all Mk2 Escorts.

Only 109 were built from a flat-nose Escort Mexico base, each featuring the legendary 115bhp BDA twin-cam engine instead of the stock 1.6 Pinto.

4. Classic solution: Ford Escort 1600 Sport (£14-23,000)

However, if you don’t like the idea of paying almost six figures for an RS1800, try a 1600 Sport for around a quarter of the price.

Visually, there’s little to distinguish a Sport from a standard road-spec RS1800, and with a healthy 84bhp out of the box, and numerous tuning options to liberate much more, performance isn’t that far off the real thing.

5. Classic problem: Citroën DS (£12-18,000)

Even by Citroën’s innovative standards, this sci-fi family car was outrageously futuristic, featuring hydraulics for the steering, suspension and brakes.

But that clever technology cost, meaning the DS was significantly more expensive than the outgoing Traction Avant.

5. Classic solution: Citroën ID (£7-12,000)

Citroën filled the gap between the old Traction Avant and DS with the ID – basically a DS with a bit less glitter. It had fewer luxuries, less power and a conventional manual gearbox, yet is still a serious headturner.

Now, as then, it’s as achingly cool as the DS, just without so much financial pain.

6. Classic problem: Maserati Bora (£80-108,000)

The gorgeous Bora is a bit of a forgotten supercar, seemingly lost in the rush to heap praise and generate column inches on its Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer rivals.

That means it’s worth around £100k, versus £1m+ for an early Countach and £350k for the Ferrari. That looks like great value in context, but it’s still not hugely affordable for most of us.

6. Classic solution: Maserati Merak (£32-46,000)

Bora too pricey? Try its little brother, the Merak.

Though entirely different cars, they look almost identical to most casual fans, and while you have to give up the Bora’s lusty V8 for a weedier ‘six’, you do get a couple of minuscule back seats to stash your weekend bags.

7. Classic problem: BMW M5 (£25-40,000)

BMW’s original M5 supersaloon fused the M1 supercar’s 24-valve straight-six with the E28’s sensible saloon body to create a 150mph autobahn weapon that could also cut it on a B-road, and on the (expensive, fee-paying) school run.

Just 187 examples of these handbuilt bruisers were born with the steering wheel on the right, meaning demand far outstrips supply, and prices are steep as a result.

7. Classic solution: BMW M535i (£12-18,000)

Unlike the M5, and the earlier E12 M535i it’s often confused with, the E28 M535i isn’t really a proper M car. It wasn’t handbuilt at M Division in tiny numbers, but churned out in the thousands on the regular 5 series line at Dingolfing.

But with a healthy 218bhp 3.5-litre motor, the same grippy BMW sports seats and a price-tag half as big as the M5’s, who cares? The only real sticking point might be that heavy-handed bodykit. It was optional on the real M5, but standard on the M535i.

8. Classic problem: BMC Mini Cooper ‘S’ (£25-35,000)

Simple to fix, and now difficult to afford, the iconic Cooper ‘S’ is too expensive for some fans.

You might be able to pick up a plainer Mk2 or Mk3 1275 for £25k, but a Mk1 with the prettier rear lights and fancy brocade interior is going to set you back over £30k, while mint restored cars are routinely advertised for in excess of £50,000. Ouch.

8. Classic solution: BMC Mini Cooper (£18-25,000)

If you can’t quite stretch to a Cooper ‘S’, don’t forget that a Cooper is almost as much fun, and looks almost identical, but costs around two thirds as much as its big brother.

And if you really can’t live without the 1275’s performance, do what Cooper owners have been doing for decades: whip out the 998 (storing it carefully) and drop in a donor 1275.

And don’t forget to upgrade the Cooper brakes to ‘S’-spec!

9. Classic problem: Aston Martin DB5 (£520-750,000)

Cost no object, most of us would happily have an Aston Martin DB5 in our garage. Come on, just look at it!

Trouble is, at over £500,000, most of us would need to sell the house the garage is attached to, to make it happen.

9. Classic solution: Aston Martin DB6 (£320-380,000)

Here’s our bargain DB5 alternative, its successor, the DB6.

Now, of course we’re not really suggesting the DB6 is particularly affordable, we don’t have £300,000 lying about.

But given how similar it looks to the DB5, if you ignore the wheelbase stretch and Kamm tail, it seems pretty strong value.

10. Classic problem: MGA Twin Cam (£28-40,000)

MG’s attempts to inject some pace into its 1500cc MGA sports car by adding a twin-cam head certainly worked, dropping the 0-60mph time by a massive 7 secs to just 9.1 secs.

In today’s classic market that extra muscle, plus the Twin Cam’s historical importance and rarity, means it’s both desirable and expensive.

10. Classic solution: MGA (£20-28,000)

Can’t afford a Twin Cam? Well, maybe you don’t need one. While the TC was usefully quicker than the original 1500, you can claw back much of that deficit by going for the later single-overhead cam 1600.

The basic pushrod B-series is tough as nails, it’s cheap to fix and some 1600s even came with the Twin Cam’s four-wheel disc brakes. Winner.