Cars are an important part of one’s lifestyle
If there is one thing I love about cars and the car culture that surrounds it, it is that automakers will sometimes recognize the kind of people that buy a certain model and tip their hat towards that certain demographic.
To the delight of car enthusiasts and pickup truck fanatics online, Ford recently announced that it will sell something it dubs the “Truckle,” a unique accessory made to celebrate 50 years of the F-150 nameplate and meant to help solve a unique problem that some of its owners might face.
Developed in collaboration with Utah-based family-run custom belt buckle company A Cut Above Buckles, the Truckle is a belt buckle designed to house a key fob for 2018 and newer Ford models within the buckle itself. Finished in silver, this western-style buckle also features an image of a 1975 F-150 front fascia on the front of the buckle as a fitting tribute to not only the legacy of the truck itself, but the people who made the F-150 an icon.
Ford
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All in all, the Truckle allows owners stylish, hands-free access to their trucks, while also helping Ford truck owners prone to losing or having their key fobs stuck in the pockets of their cowboy-cut Wrangler jeans.
Accessories matter more than you think
Unique accessories and personalization show that to lots of motorists on the road, a car is more than just a form of transportation; it’s the extension of who they actually are. To meet this demand, automakers have experimented with unique options and factory accessories over the years, providing drivers with the tools to transform their vehicles from showroom-stock cars in regular traffic into something personally meaningful and truly their own.
If you ever scour catalogs, brochures, options lists, or play around for hours on end with online configurators instead of working, you’d be familiar with the near-buffet-like experience that manufacturers give potential owners. Whether it be roof racks for weekend adventures, all-weather floor mats for actual protection, or even custom interior accents that reflect your style, car accessories help bridge the gap between mass production and individual expression.
When automakers prioritize accessories, they recognize the fundamental truth that no two drivers are alike, and your car should reflect your unique journey. However, sometimes automakers like to experiment with the weird and wonderful and offer some extras that explore a little bit into the realm of unconventional, and these five examples are just some of the cool, weird, and downright unique stuff that automakers let people tack down on an order sheet.
Motocompo – Honda City
One of the most frustrating aspects of living in a big city is the traffic and parking situation. As a New York City-area resident, it can be particularly frustrating when taking my car into more populated and popular areas of Manhattan or Brooklyn. Beating traffic and finding street parking is a sport in and of itself, and if you’re not game, you are stuck paying out the wazoo to park your ride in a garage.
The boffins at Honda had this idea in mind when they were developing the first-generation Honda City: a pint-sized two-door hatchback with comfortable interior dimensions similar to bigger cars. Despite being a relatively small car, Honda designed the trunk of the City to accommodate an unusual extra item they offered in its brochure: a small, folding 49cc motorcycle called the Motocompo.
The idea was that if you are frustrated with the traffic ahead or the fact that you cannot find parking, you could safely park and leave the City in a safe place and unfold the Motocompo to ride to work, errands, or wherever you needed to go. Between 1981 and 1983, 53,369 Motocompos were sold alongside the Honda City, and they remain a collector’s item today. Today, they serve as the inspiration for Honda’s Motocompacto, an electric mini-bike designed to fit inside your trunk.
Stellantis
Highway Hi-Fi – 1956-1959 Chrysler
Listening to music is an essential part of every car journey, whether it is through the radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or on CDs. But while various forms of constantly evolving in-car entertainment technology have been a must-have feature in modern cars, our motoring ancestors had to make do with very little.
Before automakers could install 6-disc CD changers, cassette decks, or even 8-track players as standard or optional equipment in cars, many cars sold in the “golden age” of motoring in the 1950s came equipped with just an AM radio. However, in 1956, a collaboration between Columbia Records and the Chrysler Corporation brought a device that pioneered personal in-car entertainment: the Highway Hi-Fi.
Developed by Peter Goldmark of CBS Laboratories, the Highway Hi-Fi was a built-in record player that fit into the dashboard of Chrysler cars. These devices were able to use the same speakers as the car radio, and incorporated a special 16 ⅔ RPM turntable mounted in a shock-proof case that encouraged uninterrupted, skip-free playback.
Though the Highway Hi-Fi was a novel idea in its era, it remained purely a novelty, as problems such as skipping records had led to high warranty costs for Chrysler. In addition, the record player was only able to play specialty discs made for the system, of which just 42 titles of mostly classical and Broadway scores were available. Low sales would signal the option’s downfall, but the invention showed that personal entertainment was viable for automotive applications.
Bentley
Mulliner Fly Fishing Kit – Bentley Bentayga
If you spend upwards of six figures and above on a car, you’d definitely want to make it yours. It is for this reason that personalization is a big business for supercar houses like Ferrari and ultra-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley. According to a July 2025 press release, three in four Bentleys leave its factory in Crewe with some form of Mulliner content, whether it be a special exterior color, interior, or wood veneer finish.
Bentley does offer accessories; recently, it began offering Bentayga owners with dogs a range of accessories and add-ons to help their four-legged friends ride in complete luxury. However, in the past, the Mulliner house has gone one step further to personalize Bentley cars for specific types of people with particular hobbies.
In 2016, it offered the “Master Tackle Station,” a bespoke solution for wealthy fly-fishermen who want to store their fishing rods, waders, nets, and flies in a convenient but equally luxurious way. The setup, which takes up the whole boot, features a Burr walnut veneered cabinet with sliding drawers and trays, a fly-tying vice and toolkit, as well as a waterproof floor and an on-board dehumidifier to keep the boot dry. In addition to the fly-fishing kit, Mulliner also packed a refreshment cabinet with metal flasks and a set of tableware.
Stellantis
Espresso Machine – Fiat 500L
Usually, drinking coffee on the go doesn’t sound all too complicated; you can either pour your morning joe brewed at home into a travel mug, or stop in the drive-thru of Starbucks or Dunkin’ on their way to the office for their lattes, cappuccinos, and such.
However, freshly brewed coffee made in your car may sound like a far-fetched idea, but is an idea that Italian mainstay Fiat has thought about. When it launched the four-door Fiat 500L in 2012, it partnered with the Italian coffee powerhouse Lavazza to install an espresso machine in 500L vehicles.
Mounted on a dock located in the center console cupholder in between the front seats, the compact 16-bar machine uses Lavazza’s proprietary “A Modo Mio” coffee pod system (similar concept to Nespresso pods), and is relatively easy to use. All that users have to do is fill up the water reservoir, add a pod at the top of the machine, and set the machine back into its dedicated dock.
Nissan
Shag Dash Topper – Nissan Cube
When the Nissan Cube hit U.S. dealers in 2009, Nissan North America executives envisioned that the boxy machine would make waves and define itself as more than just a car. In a press release at its launch, Al Castignetti, the vice president and general manager for the Nissan Division at Nissan North America, envisioned Cube as “something that enhances life like people’s digital devices do.”
With quirky styling that fit in with contemporary offerings like the Kia Soul and Scion xB, Nissan anticipated that many of its buyers would be young drivers, which led them to offer the Cube with an extensive catalog of accessories. As a result, many Cubes came off the line equipped with the Interior Designer Package, which included something called the Shag Dash Topper, a weird accessory that divided owners.
Visually, the dash topper appears to be a circular shag rug atop the vehicle’s infotainment screen. In the brochure for the car, Nissan states that the “rug” was intended to add “disco to your dash,” although it also proved useful for holding small objects, such as sunglasses, in place. However, owners online have mixed opinions about the decorative piece. In a 2010 thread on the Nissan Cube Life forums, one owner reported repurposing it as a cat rug, while another simply threw it away in the dumpster while driving home from the dealer.
Final thoughts
Accessories and how owners adopt or reject them show that to even the least car-obsessed person, cars are much more than mere vehicles; they can be a reflection of someone’s personal expression and be a direct statement on an owner’s lifestyle. These creative solutions, whether they be a weird, dashboard-mounted shag rug or Ford’s Truckle, can not be functional but also create a deeper connection between the car and its owner.
As the automotive world continues to evolve, automakers must recognize that each individual has a unique story and journey. By offering unique options and accessories, they enable drivers to customize their vehicles to suit their personalities and lifestyles, which can be a real growth driver. Ultimately, practicality and creativity in automotive design can create a culture where not only do our vehicles work for us, but they can also feel like an extension of our true selves.