A default install of Slackware from a 2.4Gb .iso will give you a similar environment that is reasonably functional on an X200 similar to the OAs. I actually use an X220 which is slightly more powerful but same ballpark.
x4 inflation over 20 years?
x4 inflation over 20 years?
But as i wrote, Slackware is the closest which is why i have an ISO of the latest DVD available on my external HDD to throw in a VM whenever i want to try something on Linux. Also (and this is only tangentially related) i like that it still provides "full" distribution media (in comparison Debian has become so overloaded with packages that to download installation media for archival/offline use you need to build them manually yourself and even then it is several blu-ray disks).
FWIW i do not think it is impossible to make something similar, but it would require a lot of work, especially on the desktop environment front.