Badge engineering has been part of the auto industry ever since someone figured out the magical mix of calculus and alchemy that somehow makes money by selling the same car under different names. I've never been entirely sure how this actually works, but it must — because automakers continue to do it.

Do we really need to go into great detail about how wrong the Pontiac-badged '86 Daewoo LeMans really was? Probably not.

What did The General need most of all in the late 1980s? You got it, another marque! All those Suzukis and Toyotas being built in California and Ontario needed friendly Detroit-style badging, not to mention those Japan-built Isuzus.

The saga of end-times AMC took an interesting plot twist when Chrysler decided to rebadge the Eagle Premier (itself loosely based on the Renault 25) as a Dodge Monaco. Hey, didn't the Blues Brothers drive a Monaco?

What came after the Malaise Era? The Turbo Era, of course! In 1986, when your car had a turbocharger under the hood, you wanted the world to know it. This was the philosophy behind the Starion/Conquest.

Whether an engine or a steering wheel, parts-sharing is an easy way for manufacturers to save money. Still, many car owners may be surprised by what parts get shared. Here's 12 unlikely examples.