Got a car fan in the house? Then you’ll be wanting to get them a vehicular-themed present, which can be tricky seeing as most Christmas gifts are either geared towards washing yourself or playing golf (as opposed to playing with a Golf…). Never fear, however, as we are here to help and we’ve found the best five Christmas presents to give to your car-nut significant other…
1. A voucher for Rally School Ireland
Track day vouchers are a common enough present to be handing out, but here’s one that’s a cut above the rest. The Rally School Ireland, based in Monaghan, majors on giving you the full Pentti Arikkala experience, and its mixture of classic MkII Ford Escorts and Subaru Imprezas will definitely bring out your inner McRae. The Escorts are huge fun, but the Imprezas are more like turbocharged guided missiles and you will wilt with their sheer speed. But there’s more, and in fact between the choice of drift cars, supercars and more you can pretty much fulfil your every vehicular fantasy in a (paved) field in Scottstown. Nissan 350Z drift car dressed up as a police car? Yup. Ariel Nomad – high performance in a bundle of scaffolding poles? Yes. Ferrari, Porsche, BMW M supercars? Those too. Ford Ka courses for younger drivers? Yes, get them started young. Prices start from as little €130 so there’s simply no excuse. Get going.
2. Christopher Ward C9 D-Type Limited Edition
Now, there are watches and there are watches. Most car nuts will strap a predictable TAG Heuer on their wrists. The more discerning might select an Omega or a Rolex. Those who really know what it’s about will go for a Christopher Ward. Never heard of them? You will do… Based in London, but using Swiss-made movements, and only available on the internet, CW watches have fast become desirable wrist-furniture among both car nuts and watch-philes. Their latest is the C9 D-Type Limited Edition, which, as you might expect, has a face that mimics the Smiths gauges found in the classic Jaguar D-Type race car. More than that, a fragment of metal from a genuine D-Type has been incorporated into the movement and can be seen through the crystal caseback. They’re selling out fast, even at £2,995 (about €3,600) so get your skates on, but Christopher Ward has much more affordable watches if that’s too pricey for you.
3. Slick Attire Group C t-shirt
We’ve had a long love affair with Slick Attire’s range of motorsport inspired t-shirts. Far nicer than some logo’ed up car maker’s or motorsport team’s merchandise, the Slick Attire range is in tune with the thinking of true petrol heads, and their shirts reference, in great style, everything from a Lotus 49 to the famed Eau Rouge corner at Spa to the signs for the car parks at Le Mans. Their latest shirt is another Le Mans reference, this one to the monstrous Group C cars of the 1980s. Available in blue, white or faded blue with the unmistakable outline of a Porsche 956 front and centre, they’re not cheap (£23 - or about €27 - including shipping to Europe), but they are very high quality and will last for ages. So much nicer than the normal car merchandise tat.
4. Fast Cars, Brave Drivers & Dangerous Tracks – Brian Redman
Brian Redman is not one of those motorsport names who’s ever been at the front of people’s minds. He’s not as famous as Lauda, Hunt, Senna or Schumacher. But he’s very seriously been there and done that, in some of the most dangerous periods and in some of the most lethal cars that racing has ever known. The Lancashire-born driver has won the Targa Florio, the Nürburgring 1,000km, the Daytona 24hrs and the Spa 1,000km. He’s raced in almost every major category of motorsports, and won in most of those. He’s driven for Aston Martin, McLaren, Porsche, Cooper, Alfa Romeo, Shadow and Ferrari. He’s raced amongst Ickx, Andretti, Hill, Hulme, Siffert and even Steve McQueen. He lived through the most dangerous period of motorsports from the early sixties to the late seventies and survived (barely, after a horrendous crash at the Belgian Grand Prix) and now he’s written a book about his experiences. The title is a touch hackneyed and the cover is a little too understated, but what’s inside are some of the best, most exciting reminisces of the glory days of global motor racing, all filtered through Redman’s inimitable dry wit. A man who’s been everywhere, raced everything and met everyone yet keeps both his feet solidly planted on the ground. Wonderful stuff. Priced circa €60 and available from all good booksellers.
5. Serengeti sunglasses
Even at this time of year you need a good pair of sunglasses in the car. Don’t believe me? Try driving after a heavy shower when the low winter sun starts reflecting off the wet road straight into your eyes. If you can see anything, then you have tougher retinas than I. The solution is to have not just a pair of cheap-o sunglasses that you bought in the local pharmacy, but a decent pair of properly designed and, yes, engineered lenses. Serengetis are the best, with their combination of polarised lenses and specially-designed ‘Driver’ dark brown tints. They’re made so that the light coming into your eyes is at a comfortable level, and are even beneficial on those cloudy-but-glaring days so common in this neck of the woods. They range in design from classic-looking Aviator-style to chunkier tortoiseshell frames, so you should be able to find one to suit you. Pricey? Yes – you won’t get a decent pair for less than €100, but your eyes are worth it.