Five eye-wateringly expensive new car options that are no April Fools joke

Anyone who has bought a new car recently can’t help but fail to have noticed the lengthy lists of optional extras that can be added to their new pride and joy – at a cost. These are so long that they make any fixtures and fittings list for a house purchase seem like a Post-it note. Yet extras are increasingly popular, as they allow drivers to give their car the personal touch, stand out of the crowd, or show-off the latest gadgets and gizmos to friends and family.

So, without further ado, here are five of the most expensive options available on new cars in the UK. And not one of them is an April Fools joke…

Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB Supercharged: Tailgate Event seating

The car costs: £165,500

The option costs: £5,900

Equivalent to a new: Dacia Sandero

Most drivers need an extra pair of seats in their SUV or MPV because they need to pile in extra children for the school run. But with the flagship SVAutobiography Range Rover, the extra pair of seats are for showing off at the races and letting passers by know that your Range Rover is, quite possibly, more expensive than their house. Called “Tailgate Event seating”, the chairs are crafted from aluminium and Windsor leather and cost an eye-watering £5,900 – enough to need a sit down…

Abarth 695 biposto: Dog Ring gearbox

The car costs: £33,055

The option costs: £8,499

Equivalent to a new: Skoda Citigo

The Abarth 695 biposto is about as bonkers as small cars get. It is fast, noisy and not for the fainthearted. But there is an option that buyers can add that makes it barmier still: a “Dog Ring” motorsport-style manual gearbox. With its exposed mechanism and carbon fibre shrouding, it’s a work of art to look at, but is said to be a bit of a pain in the behind to live with.

Audi A8 SE 3.0 TDI quattro: exclusive leather package

The car costs: £60,235

The option costs: £22,035

Equivalent to a new: Audi A3 Sportback

It would be safe to assume, surely, that a fine luxury saloon car such as the Audi A8 comes with leather-trimmed seats as standard. It does. But for some drivers, apparently that’s not good enough. They want more leather, as far as the eye can see, and are prepared to spend a staggering £22,035 to get their way – thanks to Audi’s “exclusive leather package 4”. This is, wait for it, brown Nappa leather (sorry, tan) that covers everything the eye can see, and includes special piping. Which makes all the difference, don’t you agree?

Rolls-Royce Wraith: The Wraith Package

The car costs: £235,416

The option costs: £26,064

Equivalent to a new: Volkswagen Golf GTI

When Sir or Madam is in a hurry and would prefer to pull on their Dunhill driving gloves and take the wheel, Rolls-Royce recommends the Wraith. The luxuriously appointed four-seat coupe is available with something called The Wraith Package, which, funnily enough, is a package of options for the Wraith. It includes 21 inch wheels, a bespoke Rolls-Royce audio set-up, glass roof, some driver assistance and camera systems, and the company’s signature “Starlight Headliner”, which should please budding Patrick Moore star gazers.

Pagani Huayra: carbon fibre bodywork

The car costs: £1,000,000 (approx.)

The option costs: £98,500 (approx.)

Equivalent to a new: Porsche 911 Targa 4S

When someone spends over £1m on a supercar, it would be fair to assume that money is no object and anything goes. So pull yourself back onto your seat and lift your jaw from the floor – paying nearly £100,000 for slightly lighter, carbon fibre bodywork is no big deal for buyers of the Pagani Huayra supercar. And it gives owners the chance to indulge in a spot of one-upmanship next time they bump into a driver of another Huayra. Which, obviously, happens all the time…

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