Best 12 Christmas gifts for petrol heads
This month's mortgage payment or a Lambo cushion?
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 04 December 2008
It's that time of year again when minds turn to overdrafts, Albert Square disasters and indigestion. Yes, Christmas is nearly upon us again, along with all of its seasonal headaches.
MotorTorque.com can help you solve one of them, as the chances are if you're reading this article you're looking for seasonal gifts for car nuts.
What we've got here is a cornucopia of automotive stocking fillers. Frankly, some of it is overpriced tat, but there's little accounting for the motoring geek's taste - and there's some quality sutff to boot.
So, whether you're looking for a candle with a Lamborghini logo on it, a fun-size Suzuki Swift, an exhausting eco-calculator, some branded Clarkson-May-Hammond-Stig junk or something actually useful, look no further.
What follows is a selection of Xmas gifts for that obsessive gearhead in your family. You may not be able to buy that Porsche Panamera, but you can afford a Porsche bobble-hat.
Best Christmas gifts for petrol heads
Alcosense Lite Breathalyser
Endorsed by none other than Sir Stirling Moss, the Alcosense breathalyser does what it says on the tin.
It's especially useful for the morning-after a night out, when most people are unaware of their blood alcohol content - particularly important when you take into account the fact that one in five drink-drive convictions are morning-after incidents.
We've had an Alcosense Lite in the office and have been impressed with how easy it is to use. The benefit to anyone who drives frequently, or more importantly drives as an integral part of their job, is clear.
Due to a number of factors that determine your blood alcohol levels, it's unclear how much use the Alcosense is immediately after drinking, but if you feel the need to breathalyse yourself after a spell in the pub the chances are you already have your answer as to whether you're safe to drive.
The government says that for every unit of alcohol - a half-pint of beer or small glass of wine - your body will take an hour to break it down. Think about your last big night of drinking, then think about how long it was before you got behind the wheel.
As a morning-after tool the Alcosense is pretty invaluable - it proves that the guesswork that most of us put into our assumptions about drink-driving is just that. It may not be the most exciting gift on our list, but it may be the most important.
Check out the site at Alcosense
• Alcosense Lite pocket breathalyser: £34.99
Roadpilot microgo
If you've ever glanced at your speedo to find, to your surprise, that you're exceeding the speed limit or you fight a running battle with speed cameras you might consider a Roadpilot - a tiny device that uses the satnav basics to warn you when your speed is excessive or you're approaching a speed camera position.
The Microgo acts as a miniature speed adviser and can be programmed to warn when you're travelling above a certain speed. It's pre-loaded with camera locations, speed limits, congestion zone areas, toll roads and accident blackspots and will give you an audible warning when approaching them.
You can download updates via your computer to keep on top of changes, though you do have to pay after six months. It'll plug straight into your cigarette lighter and is easy to set up.
There is an issue with signals dropping intermittently, which would prove pretty annoying if that happens to be when you're approaching a speed camera at excessive speed.
There's a certain moral ambiguity to the microgo. It doesn't allow you to speed with impunity, but it will let you beat the speed cameras.
Whether your conscience troubles you on that front very much depends on your outlook, but if you're nearing a ban and have been caught out before you're unlikely to be especially phased. That makes it a pretty handy alternative to a full-blown satnav for anyone who flirts with speed limits.
There more information at Road Pilot
• Roadpilot microgo: £79.95
Porsche Driver's Design and Martini Racing collections
Take to the slopes courtesy of a Porsche aluminium toboggan and wrap up warm in a Porsche jacket, scar and hat - courtesy of the Porsche Driver's Design Collection
There's also loads of clothes and gizmos celebrating the famous Porsche/Martini Racing heritage, featuring nappa lambskin leather jacket and pair of polycarbonate aviator sunglasses, or alternatively a Martini Racing beach towel and board shorts - so you can look like a massive show-off all year round.
As you'd expect - it all costs a fortune, but it looks pretty smart. There's more information at Porsche
• Martini Racing leather jacket - £529
• Porsche aluminium sledge - a ludicrous £326
Lamborghini Christmas gifts
Proof that people will buy anything with the right logo on it - Lamborghini seems to have bought a warehouse of random stuff, slapped a logo on it and stuck an imporbable price tag on.
So if you're feeling flush why not try the Lambo Christmas collection, consisting of teddie bears, cushions, Christmas-Tree baubles and candles? There are also more affordable bits and bobs plus the Collezione Automobili Lamborghini collection.
The black and white theme evokes the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4, and the prices reflect the car's steep asking price. A box of two Christmas Tree baubles costs fifty English pounds. Better get a small tree.
Check out Lamborghini if you dare.
• Box of two Christmas Tree baubles: £50
• Cushion: £36
Suzuki Christmas gifts
Something for everyone from Suzuki, including a Swift 'Junior' push car and Scalextric-type game, some stuff for the boy racer – including a go-faster stripes – and some carpet mats for Dad.
In fact, there's something for the whole family here, assuming that Mum is happy with a leather gear stick 'and knob'. Make your own jokes up.
The Suzuki World Rally Team slot car racing set looks like good fund, with two SX4 WRC cars that can be raced head-to-head on 11m of track.
There's more at Suzuki
• Sport deluxe carpet mat set: £45
• Suzuki World Rally Team slot car racing: £129
Renault Christmas gifts
Renault's going for the kiddie marketplace, with toy cars aplenty, including F1 pedal/remote control cars. The latter can move at up to 28mph, the former as fast as your little 'un's legs can move.
There's also a much more affordable Twingo pedal car if that child-powered F1 car is out of reach and the usual clothing, replica helmets and model cars.
As you'd expect there's shedloads of F1-branded stuff, but the offering we like most is the eco2 calculator - made to highlight Renault's low-CO2 models and powered by kinetic energy. Head over to Renault for more
• F1 R28 pedal car - £208
• eco² calculator - £8
Top Gear Christmas gifts
As you can expect from the commercial behemoth that is Top Gear, there's generic Xmas Present-style stuff that's likely to satisfy anyone who likes the show.
That means books with Clarkson bemoaning Vauxhalls and British Leyland, DVDs of stuff blowing up, T-shirts with slogans like 'Who is the Stig?', a CD of terrible Dad-rock numbers, Clarkson's latest unfunny The Word's Gone Mad-style book and a load of other cash-in stuff too depressing to write about.
If you want to get a good Top Gear present try the Challenges DVD collection or James May's book on the C20th.
All this stuff and more at Top Gear
• James May's 20th Century: £10.98
• Top Gear: The Challenges 2: £14.48
• If none of that captures your imagination head over to motorgifts.co.uk for Christmas stuff on motoring and motoring history.
• And if you need even more inspiration check out our Valentine's Day gift ideas
See Also:
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