The Coolest Car Keys Ever Made

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Car Keys. We don’t usually pay attention to them, but there are some really unique ones out there. From the rare and expensive to the downright bizarre, here are the coolest car keys ever made.

Porsche 917

Porsche’s iconic race car was obsessed with lightness. It had to be to beat its competitors on track. They were so obsessed with lightweight that even the simple key used to start the engine had little holes drilled in the shape of a revolver’s chamber. Although it had an aesthetic purpose more than anything, it goes to show you how much attention to detail went into everything at Porsche.

Pagani Huayra

Pagani replaced the Zonda with the Huayra back in 2012. The Huayra is, without a doubt, the most perfect hypercar in the world. Thousands of man hours go into perfecting the leather-filled cabin and its details, and that’s before you even get to the engine compartment. The Huayra’s key however, is no exception to this general rule of perfection. The key which starts the Huayra is shaped to look like the Huayra itself. It also doubles as a flash drive for your music. The next time someone doesn’t believe you’ve got a Huayra, you can just show them your key.

Maserati Ghibli

Maserati likes to stick to tradition, so they’ve combined the best of both worlds when it comes to the Ghibli’s key. It’s a modern, good-looking car key with locking and unlocking functions on one end, and a traditional key that flips open on the other. Finished off in brushed aluminum it really stands out too. I doubt BMW or Audi can top it.

Jaguar F-Pace

The F-Pace’s key is not so much of a key as much as it is a wristband. It’s designed for people who hate keys, and as lazy as that sounds, it works brilliantly in the real world. To unlock or lock the car you simply hold your wrist up to the small Jaguar badge on the rear of the car. The best part is that the so-called “Activity Key” is waterproof, so you can take it anywhere with you. Never again do you have to worry about losing your car keys at the gym. The downside? It’s a $400 option that makes you question whether you’re really that inconvenienced or forgetful in the first place.

VW Bettle/Microbus

The VW old-school key serves two purposes. It opens and starts up your Beetle/Microbus respectively, but it also doubles as a necklace. The VW logo has been neatly engraved into the base of the key, making it one of the most distinguishable keys on the planet.

Subaru STI

The key which operates the Bug-eye Subaru WRX STI was designed to look like a motorsport kill switch. Small wonder, since the STI completely dominated the rally world in that period. The best thing is that the key itself is made from titanium, making it light, strong and really rare. Weirdly, Subaru decided to keep the key in production for less than a year, so finding an example with this key style makes the purchase worthwhile all on its own.

Koenigsegg CCXR

I don’t think anyone who’s seen the CCXR’s key will actually call it a key. It’s essentially a massive silver fob designed to mimic the company’s logo, with a small rubber button included at the back to operate the car’s alarm. It’s a fashion statement more than anything else. It’s not practical or cheap, but then again, neither is the car it locks and unlocks.

Aston Martin DB9/DBS

If you thought the CCXR’s key was weird, think again. Aston Martin’s key design for the DB9 and the DBS back in the day was actually a Jaeger LeCoultre watch. The expensive watch had a pressure-sensitive face glass. Owners simply had to press the glass to open (or close) their precious Aston Martin. The cost for this luxurious way of opening your supercar? Around $15,000. Or, in other words, about as much as the average cost of a small sedan.

Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron is one of the most technologically-advanced cars on the planet. For some time it held the record for the fastest production car ever made. But, in order to reach its top speed of 268 miles per hour, you need a special “Topspeed key”. With the regular key, the Veyron can only manage a measly 220 mph. Slot the Topspeed key in however, and the whole car suddenly lowers down, retracting any aero parts that would create drag.

BMW 7-Series

The 7-Series’ key looks like a mini smartphone device more than it does like a traditional key. It comes with a full-color touch screen and four buttons for the doors, the trunk, and even a panic mode. You can use the key to regulate the climate inside and toggle the lights on and off. The best part? You can park the car remotely with a few simple clicks. Yes, you read that right. You can drive this car from outside the vehicle like a giant remote controlled toy car using this key (although fairly slow and only for parking…but still).

Lexus LFA

When Lexus announced a new supercar, most people laughed in disbelief. The company revered for build quality and reliability makes excellent cars, but they’re usually boring and uninspiring. When the LFA launched however, it turned the supercar world upside-down. The V10 engine was as compact as a V8 and weighed as much as a V6. It also revved to a sky high 9,000 rpm. Lightness was Lexus’ philosophy with the LFA. So much so that they even went through the trouble of designing and building a carbon fiber key for each and every LFA they sold. Talk about an obsession with weight reduction.