I'd say it's correct. The Ford Model T was antecedent to the Ford Model A. It was similar, but there were some remarkable differences.
The Model A was antecedent to the Model B, but I have to look closely to tell the difference.
Okay, you specify the noun usage. I was using it as an adjective. Even so, it amounts to the same thing, except with the adjective, similarity may not be required.
So I should have said, "The Model T was
an antecedent
of the Model A."
If you consider "precursor" as a model, I remember reading in the pharmacological description of one of my medications, "Cholesterol is the only known precursor of bile." By this they meant that the body converts cholesterol to bile. (a way of eliminating unwanted cholesterol) Any similarity between cholesterol and bile is remote indeed.
Edit. Looking at MrM's excellent example, you can see that it fits your quoted definition, "similar to it in some way." "Some way" is a pretty loose requirement. The "some way" in his example is that they're all devices for playing back recorded music.
Don't forget that in the grammar discipline, common words may be applied with restricted meanings.
- A.