It used to be that a pair of fluffy dice was the most extravagant optional extra you could expect when buying a new car, but things have moved on and we now want sun-roofs, alloys and metallic paint.
But how ‘s about a helipad? Quite possibly the most bizarre added extra to a car, and yes, it does exist.
The helipad is just one of several added extras to a car known as the American Dream. The limousine, which came in at over 100 feet long, earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records when it was revealed in 1992.
The car was the brainchild of American, Jay Ohrberg, a man with quite a reputation in the world of fantastic cars. He was responsible for the famed General Lee of Dukes of Hazard, came up with the Ford Gran Torino in Starsky and Hutch and also built several Batmobiles, including the original in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns.
Ohrberg doesn’t just devise the concept of vehicles though, he’s also partial to collecting them and has quite a few famous models in his collection, including the DeLorean, KITT from Knight Rider and a range of Mad Max cars.
But the American Dream was his biggest project, and with 26 wheels, two engines and the requirement of two drivers, it really was a super limo. Featuring a pool with a diving board, a Jacuzzi, a putting green and the aforementioned helipad, the reason it required two drivers is because it came in two parts, like a bendy bus.
In theory this flexibility made it easier to turn corners, however there aren’t too many accounts of the vehicle ever driving on public roads. It did travel to all sorts of car shows and events, but usually transported in several different pieces.
The American Dream turned sour recently when it was revealed that the limo had been left to rot in a car lot, though it may have one last gasp of petrol sucking life as it is being saved by the Autoseum in New York. So perhaps we will see it again. Watch this space.