It’s that time of the year again that you need to find something for the car enthusiast in your life, and as it’s been a tough year, you really want to treat them to the very best. You know that cars mean a lot to them and that they love quality items. They want something evocative, that gets petrol coursing through their veins and that doesn’t compromise on quality. Easy then!!!!
To help you out, in this article we go through our favorite Christmas, birthday, Father’s and Mother’s Day present ideas for automotive connoisseurs. There is something here for everyone in our ‘gift ideas for petrolheads’ top 10… and in every price bracket. You’re very welcome!
1. Luxury car perfume
Charabanc is an innovative luxury car fragrance accessory that works in harmony with the design cues of vintage, retro and classic cars.
Handcrafted in Britain, it comprises a stencilled-steel pomander and scented ceramic, encased in artisan-moulded leather. Created by a world-famous perfume house, Charabanc’s scents evoke the flora and aromatic qualities of some of the world’s most iconic drives.
2. World’s finest model cars
Amalgam Collection is arguably the world’s finest creator of model cars. Developed with the same attention to detail as a fine watch.
They are made by hand with no expense spared, using the most advanced available technology. With scales ranging from 1:18 all the way up to 1:1, the Bristol-based firm produces a range of contemporary, vintage and race car models including unique commissions, tailored to their client’s exact specifications.
3. Exclusive handcrafted automotive wall art
Based in Nottingham, Limited100 is a manufacturer and producer of automotive fine art photography on limited print runs. Their mission is to become and be recognised as the world’s number one destination for exclusive automotive wall art. With everything carefully crafted by hand, their prints are available on fine art paper in frames, canvas and aluminium composite, they offer car enthusiasts a choice of limited runs on a variety of vintage supercar, classic race car and modern hypercar photography in their perfect print format.
4. Car magazines as an art form
Launching in Spring 2019, Magneto magazine is an extraordinary new publication for the car aficionado. Their issues are a thing to behold and a form of art in their own right. Not generally available on the newsstand, current and back issues, along with subscription plans are available at their website to order for delivery or to access a digital copy. Magneto is produced by a group of writers and creative photographers, featuring some of the world’s most iconic cars, the people behind them and various automotive events across the globe.
Another exciting new publication is The Road Rat, founded in 2018 by Coldplay’s Guy Berryman. Printed to an extremely high standard on heavy gloss and matt art papers, this is more a book than a magazine, weighing in at around 1 kg. Like Magneto, the magazine is becoming collectable and covers stories on some of the most celebrated road and track cars from all different eras.
5. Silverstone Driving Experience
Many driving experiences are disappointing because they don’t let you experience the full power of the car, which kind of misses the point. Not so with Silverstone’s supercar experience days, which include unfiltered access to cars such as the Ferrari F430 and Aston Martin Vantage. With an instructor demonstration lap and 9 laps of the famous F1 circuit in 3 different supercars, the experience lasts 2.5 hours, giving you time to explore the upper echelons of the power range. The perfect gift idea for your beloved petrolhead.
6. Intelligent battery charger
As featured in car connoisseur YouTube channel Harry’s Garage, CTEK manufacture smart battery chargers for when your loved one needs to store their car for long periods of time. Many gifts never get used, but this is always going to come in handy. If the petrolhead in your life required long-term car storage, their innovative chargers condition, maintain and monitor battery performance, switching off when they’re not needed and powering up as soon as battery power dips below a certain level. It even includes various settings for the type of vehicle battery that needs charging and the time of year it needs to be used.
7. Find your lost car keys
Is your other half always losing their car keys? With a clever key finder like Tile Mate, the petrolhead in your life can loop this on their keychain and track the location via their smartphone on an app, which means you can ring your keys. The most impressive aspect of this IoT device is that the tiles last an entire year with no charging required.
8. Car photoshoot
Firms such as the aforementioned Limited100 provide bespoke automotive photography shoots, using camera equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds. Photographs and videos can be taken at a location of your choice, either outside, out on the road or in a studio. After the shoot, the company can turn your car pictures into fine photographic art that’s ready to hang on your wall.
9. Driving loafers
Britain is home to many footwear brands, but there aren’t many that have a core focus on creating driving shoes. One company worth mentioning is Chatham, you make classic driving moccasins that combine ‘luxe suede’ with some of the finest leathers.
10. Tailored-to-fit car covers
A leader in the world of car covers, Storm create bespoke fleece covers that are tailored precisely to the dimensions and contours of your car. One thing to bear in mind though is that you must give your car one hell of a clean before adding a cover, otherwise it will rub dirt into your paintwork.
If none of those hit the mark then how about a private number plate? We hope you liked our top 10 list of gift ideas for petrolheads, if you have any of your own ideas then get in touch!