There are lots of cool technological innovations offered by automakers to personalize your car. These are some of the most extreme.

There are really only a few important features in a car: brakes, drivetrain, seats, steering, suspension and wheels. Early vehicles were little more than an assemblage of these six elements. However, as customers got pickier and vehicles got fancier, the factory option was born. While some of these technological wonders evolved into standard equipment for modern automobiles, such as car radios and air-conditioning, not every option is destined for ubiquity. Some are good ideas that are too specialized for anyone outside of a niche audience. Others are nothing more than expensive engineering gimmicks aimed at amusing the very wealthy customers. Some options were just dumb ideas that never had a chance. Still, there's no better way to personalize your vehicle than to order up a few options, so let's take a look at some of the most outrageous factory-installed options ever devised.

By Sam Foley of MSN Autos

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I dunno, I think the swing-away steering wheel option is actually pretty useful.