These Three Cars Had Options That Were Just Other Vehicles

A Porsche 918 Spyder is a pretty rare car. When it was first shown off in 2011, Porsche promised to limit production to only 918 units. But that created a demand issue for the few wealthy hand-raisers who could even afford the 918 Spyder. The car debuted in 2011 — but buyers had to wait until 2014 to receive their $850,000 babies. And, dangit, they hadn't even invented Uber yet! How would these buyers commute to the office?!

Hey, if you can fetch an Uber that can pull a 2.2-second 0-60 mph sprint and chase down a 9.8-second quarter-mile, then who would need this two-seater Porsche thingy anyway? Also, yes we know that the 918 isn't mere transportation. But then, neither is its oddly-named backpack, the mini-me 997-based 911 Turbo S 'Edition 918 Spyder.' The what? How did Porsche name a car with both 911 and 918 in its label? (We'll explain. And that's not even the weird part.)

First, back in the day we only had billionaires. And when they plunked down for their 918s, they'd have to wait. So Porsche kindly offered the 911 Turbo S 'Edition 918 Spyder' as a numbers-limited 997 to anyone who ordered the 918.  This car was sold as an additional $160,700 "option." Porsche limited production to just (naturally) 918 cars, and added acid green paint for the brakes, carbon trim inside and out, and that green for the instrument dials. Plus buyers got a 523-horsepower 3.8-liter flat-6 paired with Porsche's seven-speed PDK transmission. 

Yes, the Turbo S 'Edition 918 Spyder' was an odd option. But Porsche was hardly the first carmaker to offer another vehicle as a package on top of the first vehicle.

Before we dig into the other cars that came with separate vehicles, first know that you might pity the person who kept their 918 and sold off their Turbo S 'Edition 918 Spyder'. Okay, pity might be the wrong word. Because if you happen to have scored a 918 when new, Hagerty puts the current valuation at $1,950,000. That's a roughly $1 million gain on your investment if you purchased that car when Porsche first offered it. However, the 918 is so valuable that you might not be enjoying it all that much.

Consider, for instance, the absurd maintenance costs. Porsche basically locks its prices for parts for the 918 so they aren't easily knowable, but a decent example is the 12-volt battery. No, not the hybrid battery. The standard-edition Nappa auto-parts, been-around-since-the-invention-of-dirt 12-volt. Even if you try to get around the dealer, it's listed at €11,049.43, or $12,573.70.

A busted mirror will run you $8,900, according to YouTuber Tomi Auto, who seems to be paying for the purchase price of his 918 via clicks. Hey, we'll oblige.

Meanwhile, what's that limited-run, merely fast 911 Turbo S 'Edition 918 Spyder' costing these days? Sotheby's sold one recently for $176,430. Kids, you cannot have a 2026 Turbo S for less than $270,300, so that's a dang bargain! Plus with 523 hp, it's got more muscle than a current, $235,800 GT3.

Then again, the two other carmakers that sold more wheels to go with their wheels weren't exactly thinking like Porsche — and their optional wares were more reasonably priced, if a tad slower.

There will always be a debate in America about why we can't have the cute whips that sell elsewhere, like Japan's adorable Kei cars. Even way back in the 1980s, when the Civic hit our shores, Honda sold its tiny City Hatchback in other markets. And one of the options you could have with this tiny, cute hatchback was a 2.5-hp, 49cc Motocompo folding mini moped that fit in its own bag and tucked into the hatch space behind the rear seats.

Now, the Motocompo weighed a bit shy of 100 pounds, which puts the power-to-weight-ratio at .025 horsepower per pound. Given the dinky wheelbase and tiny dimensions of the Motocompo, you probably wouldn't hunger for more, however.

Meanwhile, the City itself started life with a 1.2-liter inline-4 with as little as 44 horsepower to move 1,650 pounds. That's a power-to-weight-ratio of .026 horsepower per pound. So, yep, marginally better than the Motocompo! But grossly anemic compared to everything else. Luckily, the Turbo II had an intercooled turbo and its 108 hp probably felt astonishingly quick. If not exactly Porsche quick. But then Honda was hardly alone in selling an optional two-wheeled accessory. 

Unlike Honda, Volkswagen didn't make two-wheelers of their own. Instead, from 1995 to 2008, VW partnered with American bike brand, Trek, in sponsoring the latter's racing squadron. In addition, they sold special-edition Volkswagen-Trek cars with Trek badging and bike racks and specifically liveried Trek 21-speed mountain bikes. This effort began in 1996, when Volkswagen sold the package for $14,500. The Jetta collaboration quickly included the Golf too. Volkswagen also co-branded with ski-maker, K2, and these included unique upholstery and K2-branded racks as well as a choice of either a snowboard or skis. 

So we suppose this breaks the mold of offering other vehicles with the base vehicle, unless you think slide-on-snow accessories are vehicles. And while we respect your life choices, we at Jalopnik get pretty hidebound when it comes to what's a vehicle and what's meant to help you sledge a reindeer carcass across the Lapland tundra — or meant as a means to pretend you're being sporty when really you just want to wear a different wardrobe in winter. 

Back then, to vehicles, and a reminder that we live in different times. Because in that prior century the U.S.-market MK3 Jetta was made in Europe, not Mexico. Speaking of good things not coming here, that pre-Y2K Jetta had a five-speed manual, whereas the 2027 Jetta will only be sold on our shores with a slushbox. And, no, you can no longer get your Jetta with skis or a bicycle. 

Well, at least not in this country. In Europe you can purchase a very expensive, very retro, Volkswagen-licensed e-bike called the Bulli for the U.S.-equivalent price of $3,794. No thanks. For that price you could just about score a used MK3 Jetta — with a manual. And probably even a bicycle rack.