Weirdest Car Innovations That Actually Made It to Production

Let’s start with... the in-car fax machine (yep, seriously)

You read that right. A fax machine. In a car. Now, if you’re too young to remember fax machines, just know this: they were like email, but loud and full of paper. And in the ‘90s, some luxury cars actually came with them built in. The idea was that business folks on the move could send or receive documents while stuck on the M60. Because clearly, nothing says "urgent client pitch" like pulling over near the Trafford Centre to fax over a sales report from the back seat of your Lexus. This little slice of madness actually made it into production in certain models from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. Back then, carmakers were all about turning your motor into a mobile office. You’d have a tiny printer in the dash and a fold-out tray where your passenger could “work.” Picture doing 70 on the motorway and your dashboard randomly spits out a fax. Totally normal, right? It’s wild now because, let’s face it, we barely use printers at home anymore, never mind in a car. And the average car today comes with Wi-Fi, massive touchscreens, and voice assistants that’ll play your playlist, check the weather in Stockport, and order a Greggs sausage roll before you even finish your sentence. But back then, a fax machine felt futuristic. It’s just one of those ideas that probably sounded amazing in a boardroom-"We’ll revolutionise mobile communication!"-but in real life? Completely bonkers. Still, it happened. People paid for it. And someone, somewhere in Manchester probably used it to fax a purchase order for a pallet of biscuits while parked on Deansgate. Only in the car world could something like that be a selling point.

Next up: joystick steering, because why not?

Imagine jumping into your next car and instead of the usual steering wheel, there’s... a joystick. Like a giant video game controller in the middle of the dashboard. That’s what one manufacturer, Saab, actually tested in the early 2000s. Yep, joystick steering wasn’t just an idea. It made it to the prototype phase, and some folks actually drove these things. The whole concept came from airplane controls. Saab used to make fighter jets, so they figured, “Why not give cars the same vibe?” You’d push forward to go straight, tilt it to turn, and apparently, it was super responsive. Which is great-if you’re trained to fly military aircraft. Less great if you’re just trying to parallel park outside Asda. This idea was part of a bigger experiment in driver safety and tech. Saab wanted to design a car that eliminated the steering wheel and made more space for the driver. Cool idea. But trying to drive through the hilly bits of Stockport with a joystick just sounds like a recipe for some awkward insurance calls. One quick twitch and you’re not taking a gentle bend-you’re spinning into the kerb outside your nan’s house. To be fair, it worked okay during demos, and people said it felt “fun.” But fun doesn’t always mean safe. So, it never quite hit the mass market. Still, it’s one of those weird little rabbit holes in car history that makes you shake your head and say, “Wait… they really tried that?” They really did.

Spinning dashboards that flipped like secret agent gadgets

This one’s less about driving and more about showing off. You know how in spy films there’s always a hidden button that flips something around and suddenly everything changes? Well, imagine your car dashboard doing that-rotating to hide or reveal features. That actually happened. The car brand Nissan, with their super quirky Cube and a few others, tried this idea. They had parts of the dashboard that would rotate or spin depending on what mode you were in. Driving? You’d get your speed and revs. Parked up at the Maccies drive-thru? The whole thing would rotate and show you a table or a flat surface to eat from. Not joking. One version even had a “relaxation mode” where everything flipped to make the cabin feel more like a lounge. It was part of this trend where manufacturers thought cars were becoming living rooms on wheels. Which… sort of makes sense. Until you remember that it’s still a car, and nobody really wants to eat a full English while balancing a coffee in their lap on the A6. The thing is, it did make it to production in some niche models, and people did buy them. Not loads, mind you. But enough to keep the idea floating around for a while. And every once in a while, someone will come to Dace Motor Company asking if we’ve got one of those “flip-around dashboards.” Usually we don’t. But we do smile, because yes-it really happened. If you’re the kind of person who wants your car to feel like a Transformer, this one probably sounded like a dream.

Who thought headlight wipers were a good idea?

Look, we get it. Keeping your headlights clean is important. But was it important enough to put teeny tiny windscreen wipers on them? Apparently, yes. Volvo and a few others thought it was a cracking idea. So they built cars where the headlights had little mini wipers-like eyelashes for your car-that would flick back and forth when it got a bit grubby. You’ve probably seen this before if you’ve ever been behind an old Volvo in the rain near Heaton Chapel. These little arms would come out like your car was blinking. And while it did look kind of cute, it also made you wonder: was this really necessary? Turns out, it sort of was-back in the day. In places with loads of snow or sludge (not unlike some Stockport backroads in February), headlights would get caked in muck. And if you couldn’t see, you were in trouble. So the solution was, “Hey, let’s wipe them clean, same as the windscreen!” Thing is, they didn’t always work that well. They’d break. Or get stuck. Or smear the dirt instead of clearing it. Plus, replacement parts? Not exactly easy to find these days. Still, it’s one of those weird little car features that you can’t help but appreciate for the effort-even if it’s a bit extra. And yeah, we’ve had customers at Dace bring these into the workshop and ask us to fix their headlight wipers. Bless ‘em.

Car interiors that smelled like perfume. On purpose.

Here’s one that’s more weird-fancy than full-on bonkers: cars that squirt out perfume through the air vents. Some luxury models (we’re looking at you, Mercedes and BMW) actually came with built-in fragrance systems. You’d open a compartment in the dash, slot in a tiny branded bottle of “Spring Forest” or “Urban Night” or whatever nonsense they called it, and boom-your car now smells like a hotel lobby. It’s one of those things that feels very posh, but also very unnecessary. Like, just hang a pine tree air freshener from your mirror and call it a day, right? But people loved it. Still do. We've had a few in our stock at Dace Motor Company and yep, they’re still working. We’ve even had customers specifically ask for them: “Do any of the BMWs have that fancy scent thingy?” And listen-we get it. No one wants their car to smell like takeaway chips or wet dog. That said, the idea that your car is designed to spritz you with fragrance like you’re stepping into Selfridges is just… a bit much. Especially when half the time, the bottle runs out, and you're left trying to track down a refill that costs more than a night out in Manchester. But hey, it’s better than that one time a car maker thought putting carpet on the dashboard was a good look. We’ll take fancy smells over fuzzy dashboards any day.

Pop-up headlights: the coolest, dumbest idea ever

If you grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, you probably remember these. Pop-up headlights. You’d turn on your lights, and two little flaps on the front of your car would lift up like eyebrows. It was like your car was waking up from a nap. They were everywhere-Mazda, Toyota, Lotus, even Vauxhall had a go. And let’s be honest: they looked amazing. So cool. Every kid who saw a car with pop-up lights thought, “That’s the one I want.” They made your car feel alive. But here’s the thing: they broke. Constantly. One motor goes out, and now your car’s got one eye open and one eye shut, like it just pulled an all-nighter at the Red Lion. Plus, they messed with aerodynamics and added unnecessary complexity. Even so, people loved them. We’ve had customers at Dace ask if we’ve got “anything with pop-ups.” It's like car nostalgia in full force. They got banned eventually because of safety regulations. Turns out, having sharp edges that shoot out of the bonnet isn’t great if you hit something. Who knew? Still, they live on in people’s memories. And YouTube compilations. And occasionally, on our lot-if you’re lucky.

Massaging seats… while you’re driving

Alright, this one’s not too weird-but it still makes you raise an eyebrow. Massaging seats. As in, your car literally gives you a back rub while you're on the road. Fancy, right? It started in high-end Mercs and Audis. Then trickled down into more affordable models. And yeah, they feel amazing after a long day. Especially if you’ve been stuck in traffic around the Etihad after a match. The seats use air bladders and little motors to gently roll or pulse in your back. Sometimes they even get warm. It's all very posh. Until they stop working and start making this weird buzzing noise that makes your whole car sound like a cheap foot spa. We’ve had customers come in like, “Can you check my seat? It keeps vibrating and I didn’t even turn it on.” Sure thing, pal. But if you're someone who does loads of driving-say, commuting between Manchester and Stockport every day-then yeah, massaging seats might actually be useful. Weird, but useful. And you know what? In a world where cars once came with fax machines and joysticks, getting a mini back massage from your seat doesn’t seem all that strange anymore.

So yeah, cars have come a long way. Some of these ideas stuck around. Some fizzled out fast. But all of them remind us that people will try anything to make driving feel a bit more exciting.