9:55 AM
As many an Elvis impersonator can attest, an entire career can be cobbled out of a likeness to someone famous. In the car world, affordable models often copy the look of more expensive machines to enhance their appeal. Some might call that cheesy; others call it democratization of design. When the original Nissan Altima launched 20 years ago, it wore a toddler-sized version of the Infiniti J30’s rhinestone jumpsuit. That first Altima was smaller than its competitors and a bit rough around the edges; it had fake wood the color of Cheetos; and it came bearing a completely unknown name. None of that mattered. It started at $13,349, but the world thought you’d bought a $34,895 J30. Nissan sold 120,000 Altimas that first year, 20 percent...
