This Easter weekend is set to be one of the busiest on record for Britain’s roads.
But, with many people excited to be opening chocolate Easter eggs on Sunday, most people probably don’t know that there are some lurking in their cars – but they’re not the delicious oval chocolate versions.
There are certain car manufacturers that slide a few little extras into their cars to make them reflect a vehicle’s heritage, design or even down its name.
Here is our list of some of the most unusual and bizarre car Easter eggs you never knew existed.
Vauxhall sharks
That may sound odd, but did you know that Vauxhall has been putting sharks in its cars for nearly two decades?
It began with the introduction of the Corsa D – which was released in 2006. The Shark was located in the hinges of the glovebox and was included after Dietmar Finger, an Opel designer, was encouraged by his son for the shark to be included in the Vauxhall’s then-new Corsa.
The Shark theme has made its way onto other Vauxhall models over the years, including the Adam, Astra, Insignia and Mokka, making the animal into something of a mascot for the brand. .
Skoda’s umbrella and ice scraper
Skoda’s infamous ‘Simply Clever’ slogan is relevant to some secret features that hide beneath nearly all the brand’s models.
Firstly, the Superb in the early 00s featured integrated umbrellas stowed neatly away into the doors for the passengers – an idea that Rolls-Royce used for their flagship Phantom luxury limousine, too.
Later on, the feature made its way onto other Skoda models such as the Kodiaq and Scala.
In nearly all Skoda models is the ice scraper located inside the fuel filler flap. The scraper is also transparent and doubles up as a magnifying glass to help owners read tire pressure labels that are also found inside the fuel flap.
Skoda’s more recent models like the Kamiq also have the ice scraper to benefit as a tyre tread depth gauge.
Mazda triangles
The Mazda RX-8 went on sale in 2003 with a rotary wankel engine. The engine involved a triangular piston rather than conventional longitudinal ones to make for better performance, smoother acceleration and more power – but, did you know that a lot of the RX-8’s interior was inspired by that triangular piston?
If you take a look inside the interior of the RX-8, there are subtle clues to give the game away about what lives underneath the bonnet. The gear shift knob is triangular, as are the cut outs in the front seat backs and even on the outside, where the triangular shaped design on the bonnet below the windscreen all harks back to its powertrain.
Jaguar Cub
The Jaguar E-Pace is a popular small crossover here in the UK, but did you know that there was a baby Cub lying beneath its windscreen?
If you take a closer look at the bottom of the front windscreen you will notice a walking Jaguar followed by its Cub alongside a trail to look like the outline of the windscreen.
The Jaguar and Cub can also be found in the puddle lights on the ground when entering the car.
The Cub and Jaguar are used to represent the different sizes of SUV model. The Cub is the E-Pace and the larger cat is the F-Pace SUV.
Jeep Renegade
Owners of the Jeep Renegade may not realise they are driving around in a moving Easter egg. The compact crossover is littered with cool and quirky Easter eggs that are reminiscent of Jeeps from the past.
Firstly, the X’s and grilles. The headlamps and taillights both incorporate the old-school Jeep grille.
Not only that, you’ll find the original Jeep grilles on the side of the rear-view mirror casing, on the boot lid slam panel and around the speakers.
The side steps say ‘No Step!’ – just to make sure that people don’t walk on them.
If you open the fuel flap on a Renegade, to the bottom right-hand side will be a little spider with a speech bubble saying ‘Ciao baby!’ – as well as a little Willy’s Jeep climbing up the front of the bottom left-hand of the front windscreen.
Look at the rev counter and you’ll find a paintball splotch redline – which was the Renegade’s design team’s favourite weekend activity.
If you buy rubber floor mats, you’ll find an original Jeep stamped on them to remember that Jeeps like going off-road and getting muddy.