7 Pretty Weird Car Options

Sometimes, in an effort to please the driver or just stand out from the competition, companies equip their cars with very unusual bells and whistles and accessories.

Roofless driving time counter

BMW, which bought the British brand Mini in the mid-nineties, made every effort to ensure that the cars revived under its banner gathered an army of the most sophisticated fans. Paying a lot of attention to the style of their models and the smallest details in their design, Mini engineers and designers tried their best to instill a sense of exclusivity in buyers of British neoclassicism.

Occasionally, these aspirations led to awkward options like the Openometer on second-generation Mini convertibles that saw the light of day in 2009. In fact, this is a counter that records the time that the owner of the Cabrio version drove with the roof retracted. The open-top timer was displayed on a stylish round instrument panel, reminding the driver of the purpose of such machines.

Vase on the front panel

The photo is taken from the site: https://vwmodif.blogspot.com/2018/02/volkswagen-beetle-flower-vase.html

Having presented the legendary Beetle model in a new modern interpretation on the eve of the millennium, Volkswagen, like BMW with the Mini brand, set off in pursuit of the beautiful and unusual, which can interest, entertain and surprise both existing and potential buyers of the new Beetle. At some point, the designers came up with the idea to add a non-trivial accessory to the interior - a vase for flowers.

Obviously, among the buyers of such a stylish car as the Volkswagen Beetle, there will be many lovely ladies. And they will surely appreciate this bells and whistles. Indeed, the Germans sold the hatch in a retro style with a miniature vase, similar to a test tube, fixed to the side of the center console on the driver's side. Someone used it for its intended purpose, putting chamomile, gerbera and other gifts of flora into the water. And others used the vase as a stand for pens and pencils.

Ice maker in the cabin

In the eighties, Toyota sold similar versions and modifications of vans, minivans and passenger vans. In different countries they were known as TownAce, MasterAce, LiteAce, Space Cruiser, Model F and Taparo. These family monocabs were distinguished by a wagon layout with the engine located under the front seats. And they all look like a refrigerator that has fallen on its side. And their "brother" Toyota Van, sold in North America, could also boast of a built-in ice maker.

It wasn't really a generator, but an ordinary car refrigerator the size of a shoebox, mounted at the base of the dashboard, connected to the on-board air conditioning lines, and complete with a tray for freezing ice cubes. It is curious that the Toyota Previa, which replaced this model in the nineties, received a similar option only in the European market, where, in fact, no one loves ice as much as the Americans.

Folding electric scooter in the trunk

The photo is taken from the site: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honda_City_and_Motocompo_front-right_Honda_Collection_Hall.jpg

Assembled for transportation, with the seat and steering wheel hidden inside the angular body, the scooter looked like a box with wheels. Thanks to the overall dimensions of 1185 × 240 × 540 mm, it clearly fit into the symbolic trunk of the hatch. For fastening, special slings with hooks were provided, fixing the scooter by four eyes. Single Honda Motocompo was driven by a 2.5-horsepower 2-piston single-cylinder engine with a volume of 49 "cubes", allowing the scooter to accelerate to 30 km/h. And gasoline in a tank of 2.2 liters was enough for about 150 km.

Built-in vacuum cleaner in the trunk

In the USA, large family minivans are often referred to as mommobiles. They are used to transport children to schools and kindergartens. They also visit megamalls for the purchase of products and other household goods. Well, my mother driving such a car is a common occurrence. Released in the US in 2014, the updated Honda Odyssey Touring Elite showed the world a new unique option that just should be appreciated by such family drivers.

This is a built-in HondaVAC vacuum cleaner. It is integrated directly into the trunk wall and is closed by a decorative panel, under which a long corrugated hose, various cleaning nozzles, as well as a replaceable filter and a bag for dust and debris made in the form of a removable canister are hidden.

Silicone Grass on the panel

The French are the real entertainers in car design and inventing unusual accessories. Take, for example, the last generation of Renault Twingo urban hatch. Especially for the girls driving this model, Renault came up with a series of nail polishes. They completely match the colors of the car body, so that if something happens they can quickly tint the scratches that have appeared.

And for its predecessor, the second-generation Renault Twingo, other equally useful and functional, but at the same time sometimes looking very strange, accessories were developed. For example, an insert with silicone grass in a niche provided for storing various small things right under the windshield. In fact, this soft and comfortable organizer not only keeps keys, smartphones, flash drives, pens, etc. from rolling around on the dashboard, but also prevents them from strumming and rattling when driving over bumps. Yes, and this bright silicone contraption looks funny.

The photo is taken from the site: https://topworldauto.com/cars/renault/renault-twingo-12/photos.html

Fluffy rug under glass

Released 20 years ago, the second generation of the tall Nissan Cube station wagon blew everyone away with its asymmetric appearance and hilarious advertising campaign under the slogan literally translated as "symmetry sucks." However, by the release of the third generation of the model in 2008, this cube on wheels lost its wow effect and became familiar on the roads. Therefore, along with the evolution of futuristic design, Nissan offered sophisticated American customers various options and accessories. Including completely meaningless ones.

In particular, a strange-looking round shaggy rug on the front panel. Maybe the Japanese wanted to make something functional like silicone grass in the Renault Twingo, but they ended up with absolutely useless nonsense, which, nevertheless, delighted the buyers of this model. Judging by the forums of the owners of the Nissan Cube, many perceive this funny “furry” not as something useful, but only as a unique feature of the model, which no one else has.