29 strange car options and accessories

In-car coffee machine

Say goodbye to overpriced takeaway coffees forever, with the Seat coffee machine. It’s like having your own personal barista in the car. Only you have to do all the work. So it’s nothing like a barista at all.

And if you thought having a coffee machine in your car was unusual, let’s explore some of the other opulent – or just just plain odd – options offered by car manufacturers.

Range Rover drinks cabinet

Forget coffee, why not go the whole hog? If Sir or Madam wished, the Range Rover Holland & Holland could be fitted with a generously sized drinks cabinet instead. It included free refills for the first year, but Sir or Madam had to supply the driver.

Volkswagen Beetle flower

Ah, the irony. The Volkswagen Beetle and the flower, two symbols of the Swinging Sixties and ‘flower power’. But wait, what’s that on the radio? Ah, BBC Radio 2. Well, we all have to wear our sensible shoes at some point.

Dynamic Volkswagen hub caps

Would you spend £150 on a set of four dynamic Volkswagen hub caps? Volkswagen said these add a ‘touch of the super-luxury segment’ to the mainstream, with self-levelling wheel centres inspired by Rolls-Royce and Bentley. ‘If you just want to quell the niggling irritation of badges pointing in different directions’, these are for you. For all other irritations, ask your pharmacist.

Bentley Batur 18ct gold trim

Bentley has introduced 3D-printed gold trim to its ultra-exclusive Mulliner Batur. The option adds 210 grams of 18-carat gold to the coachbuilt coupe, including on the ‘Charisma Dial’ (pictured above) and the organ-stop air vent controls. Bentley hasn’t quoted a price for the extra sparkle, but given the Batur itself costs £1.65 million, it certainly won’t be cheap…

The gold is sourced from the historic Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, then shaped using laser melting printers before being hand-finished by artisan jewellers.

Chevrolet Corvette Teen Driver mode

The latest Corvette features Chevrolet’s Teen Driver mode, which enables parents to educate and coach young drivers on the importance of road safety. The technology is sensible rather than strange, but the fact that teenagers might be driving a mid-engined supercar seems a little bizarre.

Kia Soul speaker lights

The Kia Soul speakers were a bit more down to earth, featuring LEDs lights that flashed in time with your funky beats. The speakers also featured ‘mood lighting’ to suit your state of mind.

Vauxhall Adam starlight roof lining

Anything Rolls-Royce could do, Vauxhall could manage for a little less cash. Fancy adding a touch of opulent glamour to your Vauxhall Adam? Then ’starlight roof trim’ was for you. Just don’t go promising your other half a night under the stars, because she might be a tad disappointed.

Honda CR-V shower

The original Honda CR-V featured a cold water shower in the boot. What a great idea – a common sense feature, perfect for washing dirty dogs, bikes and shoes. Not so good for taking a shower in your local car park.

Honda Element Dog Friendly Package

The Honda Element was a funky SUV with more than a passing resemblance to the Skoda Yeti. Not that Skoda ever offered a ‘Dog Friendly Package’ in the Yeti. More’s the pity.

Skoda Superb umbrella

Another case of anything Rolls-Royce can do… the Skoda Superb does a brilliant impression of a luxury car costing many times its purchase price. That goes right down to the minor details, such as the umbrella tucked away in one of the rear doors.

Rolls-Royce Conway Stewart pen set

In 2005, Rolls-Royce commissioned Conway Stewart to produce a limited number of pen sets to mark the 80th anniversary of the Phantom. A mere 25 Phantoms were treated to the special set within the glovebox, with the remaining cars getting a couple of blue Biros instead. Ahem.

Audi Q3 camping tent

Yes, that is an Audi Q3 giving birth to a camping tent. Looks painful, but rather that than the kayak on the roof. Or is it a canoe? Whatever, the Pontiac Aztek got there first.

Peugeot 207 perfume diffuser

Any Peugeot 207 is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, so there’s a good chance the interior will be a tad smelly. Think old socks, body odour, leftover takeaways and wet dogs. Fortunately, some cars were fitted with a perfume diffuser. You might just need it.

Skoda ice scraper

The only thing crazy about Skoda’s decision to put an ice scraper inside the fuel filler cap of its cars is why nobody had thought of it before.

Mini Driving Excitement Analyser

The Mini Driving Excitement Analyser – ‘on hand to highlight just how skilfully and safely drivers are exploiting the potential of their new Mini’. Apparently you can earn Experience Points for sporty but safe driving. OK then…

Nissan X-Trail safari lights

Safari lights: perfect for the mean streets of Surbiton and the wilds of the Morrisons car park. But we shouldn’t mock; whack these bad boys onto main beam and Mr LED daytime running lights is going to think twice about blinding you next time he sees you. Or doesn’t see you, perhaps…

Aston Martin tyre cushions

No, we’re not making this up, you can actually order tyre cushions for your Aston Martin. They help to reduce flat spots when parking and can be yours for ‘just’ £870. The alternative is to use your car more often.

Ford Door Edge Protector

There’s nothing crazy about this, because Ford’s Door Edge Protector system does exactly what it says in the brochure. Just don’t think it gives you an excuse to ram your car door into the side of ours. Thank you.

Volvo Animal Detection

Volvo’s Animal Detection system was tested in Sweden before being rolled out as part of the City Safety technology. The alternative would be to carry Sir David Attenborough around with you.

Citroen C4 Cactus Airbumps

The magnificently-named Airbumps are found on the old Citroen C4 Cactus. The air capsules absorb small bumps and are also said to offer better resistance to scratches. Which is fine, but we just love them because they look funky. It’s a shame Citroen decided to reduce their size for the facelift.

Mini Openometer

The Mini ‘Openometer’ records the amount of time you have spent driving with the roof down. Which, in the case of most Brits, is hardly ever.

The in-car record player

If you thought smartphones were a distraction behind the wheel, imagine trying to change a record while on the move. The technology was short-lived, knocked into touch by the birth of the eight-track player and common sense.

Bentley Bentayga Mulliner Tourbillon by Breitling clock

Life is all about choices. You could buy a modest house in the north of England, or you could spend £160,000 on the Mulliner Tourbillon by Breitling clock for your Bentley. It’s all about Cheshire, innit?

Renault Modus boot chute

Clearly inspired by the original Mini, the Renault Modus featured a flap in the lower half of the tailgate to provide easy access to the boot. The so-called ‘boot chute’ was one of the many reasons why the Modus doesn’t get the respect it deserves.

Vauxhall bike carrier

Vauxhall’s patented FlexFix bike carrier is integrated in the bumper so that it’s not in the way when not in use. Optional when new, we wonder how many used Vauxhall buyers are unaware that their car features this nifty storage solution.

Bentley Bentayga Fly Fishing by Mulliner

What do you buy the fly-fisher who has it all? The Bentley Bentayga Fly Fishing by Mulliner and a copy of Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley, of course.

Honda City and Motocompo

The Honda City supermini could be optioned with a 50cc foldaway scooter called the Motocompo, which fitted neatly into its boot. Name a better automotive partnership. We’ll wait.

Volvo heartbeat sensor

Volvo’s Personal Car Communicator featured a heartbeat sensor that used the key fob to alert owners if somebody was lurking in the rear seat. The tech was short-lived. “Almost no one was using the intruder query function,” said Dan Johnston of Volvo Cars North America.

Nissan Cube dashboard carpet

You’re looking at the inside of a Nissan Cube with a carpet dashboard-topper. When we suggested ‘cutting some rug’, this isn’t what we had in mind…