A woman in the US has given a new meaning to the term fast food after trading a pot of McDonald’s sauce for a car.

Rachel Marie, from Macomb County in Michigan, received a 2000 Volkswagen Golf in exchange for a packet of limited edition Szechuan sauce.

The 23-year-old graphic designer queued for hours for the pot, which was one of only 20 available at the Detroit store she drove 45 minutes to visit.

“There were hundreds of people waiting,” she told HuffPost. “The line snaked around the building.”

The limited edition sauce was first introduced in 1998 as part of a collaboration between McDonald’s and Disney over the film Mulan. It gained popularity again earlier this year after featuring in the season three premiere of hit TV show Rick and Morty. In the episode, a lead character says it is his life mission to get hold of the sauce.

In response, McDonald’s re-released the sauce at some locations for just one day. Selected stores received just 20 to 40 packets of Szechuan, resulting in huge queues and, at one Florida branch, police having to be called to maintain order. The lack of sauce prompted an angry backlash from Rick and Morty fans who missed out.

The sauce was only re-released at certain stores for one day (Facebook)

However, those who were able to get their hands on the teriyaki-flavoured dip cashed in: packets are currently selling for over $100 (£76) on eBay, while some owners are asking for the equivalent of thousands of pounds.

Ms Marie decided to see what she would be offered in exchange for her packet of sauce and posted on Facebook group Pin Nation seeking to trade in exchange for some pins. She was surprised when, instead, one man offered her the 1.8 litre Volkswagen.

"There was actually a large response with some nice pins," she said. "But if I could get a car, I thought, why not ask?"

What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job Show all 6 1 /6 What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘High stress job’ "You get treated very poorly by customers and it's a high stress job at peak hours, but I believe this holds true for any fast food service job." What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘Regimented’ "I was trained in the kitchen and every process was regimented down to the last little detail. I got a test at the end of my training that included questions like: How many pieces of diced onion do you put on a cheeseburger? (the answer was 17)" Copyright (c) 2009 Rex Features. No use without permission. What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘Lifelong friends’ "Working at McDonald's was one of the most fun experiences in my life! I met lifelong friends while putting myself through college. I also got to eat there for almost two years everyday." What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘Higher standards than most’ "The kitchens are clean and organised. They have a lot of checklists and protocols to make sure the quality of the food is top notch. They have higher standards than most companies when it comes to health codes and when something doesn't meet their standards they throw it away immediately." What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘Well trained’ "An old boss of mine, at a very high-end boutique catering company, told me he always hired workers who listed McDonald's on their resume because he knew they were already well trained." What people who work in McDonald's really think of their job ‘Big on cleanliness’ "I loved how big they were on cleanliness. I found out later that this is not the case at every location, but those two (especially the one in my hometown) were very clean."

The car owner has not been named but told Business Insider he “just needed me some friggin sauce”. He owns another car which he is now using, he added.

The man may end up ruing his trade, however. McDonald's has now announced it will bring back Szechuan sauce this winter in much greater quantities.

The company said: “Szechuan Sauce is coming back once again this winter," the chain posted on Twitter on Sunday.