In case of an ‘accident’ while using your dash mounted coffee machine, you could jump into your other car and use the toilet. Here are five of the most ridiculous optional extras you could actually get
It’s hard to believe there was a time when you could option your car with almost anything you could imagine, especially now when optional extra lists usually consist of shades of paint and some different-coloured wheels.
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All it takes is one feature to separate a manufacturer’s new car from others in its class and seal its place in history as the talking point of the model. Want to make a coffee while driving? Or perhaps use the bathroom while on the move? Then some car makers once had you sorted.
Whether they’re cool, rare, or just plain silly, here are five of the absolute weirdest and most ridiculous optional extras you could actually purchase new from the factory.
Honda City – A motorcycle
Perhaps one of the most widely-loved and known obscure options on a car is the fold-up motorcycle you could order with the first-generation Honda City.
The idea was that in case your tiny Honda City wasn’t small enough to find a parking space in growing, congested city centres, you could park on the outskirts, pop the boot, and unfold your suitcase-sized moped.
The Motocompo was a 49cc foldable motorcycle that was inspired by the World War II British Welbik, which was designed to be compacted down and dropped out of aircrafts for paratroopers.
The bike wasn’t an afterthought either; the cargo area in the Honda City was specifically designed for the Motocompo to be strapped down and stored in the boot. You also could not buy the motorcycle by itself; it had to be purchased as an extra for the car.
By the end of production in 1983, some 53,369 Motocompos had been sold as options with the Honda City, although they’re still quite rare outside of Japan. The motorcycle alone often fetches over $6000 in Australia today.
Chevrolet Impala – Cigarette chute
It’s next to impossible to find an ashtray on a brand-new car in 2024, but there was once a time when smoking paraphernalia was at the forefront of luxury in cars.
The 1957–1959 Chevrolet Impala had the coolest ashtray setup ever applied to a car. The Zip Away Incigarettor was a vacuum-operated chute that would suck down cigarette butts into a sealed container under the dash.
This rarely-seen option could be added to the Impala for an extra $7.50 at the time and would eliminate the smell of stale cigarette butts and extinguish it, all while containing it in an easy-to-remove container.
Volkswagen Beetle and Fiat 500 – Coffee machine
Just in case driving a car from the 1950s wasn’t unsafe enough, Volkswagen offered an optional extra to mount a 40-watt Hertella coffee machine to the dash of your Beetle, located in a prime head-butting location, leading to occupants likely being doused with boiling water and scalding coffee in the event of an accident.
Little is known about the Hertella coffee maker, only that it was available in either 6- or 12-volt versions and cost DM65 (Deutschmarks). For context, the price of a new Beetle in 1959 was DM3790.
When ready, the coffee dispenses straight into a porcelain cup fitted with a metal base that attaches magnetically to the Kaffeemaschine, helping to keep things secure.
The optional extra coffee machine made a comeback in 2013 when Lavazza collaborated with Fiat for the 2013 Fiat 500L. This time, the espresso machine was located in a much more sensible spot in the cup holder, not the dash.
Pontiac Aztek – Camping kit
The Pontiac Aztek is widely known as one of the ugliest cars ever made and the vehicle of choice for Heisenberg in the critically acclaimed TV show, Breaking Bad. But, what many fail to realise is that the SUV had a very cool optional extra.
The camping package came with an air mattress, which could be inflated with the inbuilt air compressor, and a tent. You could fold the rear seats flat, open the tailgate, and pitch the factory-optioned tent right off the tailgate.
It seemed to be a popular choice for people who bought in early with this camping crossover segment. Now, 23 years later, the tent is largely the main talking point of this car, apart from its avant-garde styling. Hey, even Elon Musk used the same idea for Tesla’s new Cybertruck.
Honda Odyssey – Built-in vacuum cleaner
Honda knew the Odyssey’s clientele would be large families, so what better way to make life easier for young families with messy kids than with a built-in vacuum cleaner?
The HondaVac was located at the rear of the fifth-generation Odyssey van in some trim levels. It was entirely self-contained in the rear, so there was no need to plug it into anything. It ran off the power of the car.
Unfortunately, the HondaVac was discontinued in 2022 due to issues with the system supplier, but it has an endearing and dedicated fan base just for this optional extra.
Honourable Mention: Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith – Toilet
You read that correctly; this Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was optioned with a toilet built into the rear seat. The reason this is an honourable mention because it was only fitted to one coach-built Vignale model.
The toilet has been described as being used “mostly to keep the champagne chilled”, but the word ‘mostly’ implies that it was indeed used as a toilet at some point.
While there is a privacy shield separating you from your chauffeur and you in the back (although it is see-through), we also couldn’t imagine the smell inside of this car would be too pleasant.
This special one-off Rolls-Royce went to auction through Bonhams in 2014 without a reserve. The sale price for the bathroom on wheels was not mentioned, but the Silver Wraith was on sale in the US before the Bonhams listing with a price tag of $US450,000 ($AU650,000), making it the most expensive toilet you’ll ever take a dump in.
The post A coffee machine and a toilet? These are the most ridiculous optional extras on cars appeared first on Drive.
