The Christmas and New Year season brings a certain conundrum to the loved ones of car nuts and petrolheads. They want to get you something automotive, but short of parking a red Porsche 911 GT3 in the driveway on Christmas morning, they haven’t got a clue what’s really cool. So instead they nearly always get you a necktie with little Ferraris all over it, or maybe if you’re lucky you get a set of car tools you already have, and can at least sell them on www.mudah.com when nobody’s looking. Now we know that you’re probably not the one stumped for the right gift you’re the car nut after all, and your family just doesn’t know what to give you for the holidays. So we’ve got a solution: Here’s our list of six great things to ask for. Make life just a little easier for your loved one this Christmas and new year.
1. Driving shoes – You need driving shoes, but we’re not talking about the current rage of
Prada’s. Instead, look at Puma, the maker of some of the best driving footwear around.
They have a professional line and we recommend these to anyone who drives seriously,
especially anyone looking to shave a few tenths off their weekend 0 to 100 time.
2. Sunglasses – Your eyes are not immune to changing light conditions and neither are conventional sunglasses. When clouds roll in, most of us take our shades
off because otherwise we can’t see subtle shapes. But Ray-Ban sunglasses (made
originally for skiers and cyclists) have the best range and it is better to buy
from a manufacturer who have been at it for years instead of a
fashion label with no heritage and experience in protecting your eyes.
3. Tools. Ever wished you had a set of tools like toolman Tim Taylor! Chances are you already have a good set of tools. But are they great? Chances are you also
have always lusted after a set of Snap-on tools like the Ferrari pit crew, but
getting your hands on them (they’re only sold to professional mechanics,
right?) has been impossible. Not anymore. Now Snap-on sells over the Web,
so we can all have the best wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers on the planet. A
good place to start is with the Complete Apprentice set, which has dozens of
sockets, wrenches, wire strippers and adapters; even hammers, saws, tape
measures and a flashlight. These items don’t come cheap, but they will last a
decade or two.
4. GPS. Fed up of getting lost and having to argue in th ecar with your loved one? Well Gophers,
a Malaysian manufacturer of PC.com’s Best GPS Device of the Year 2009 understandsthe need of having commercial maps installed in their devices rather than
community maps such as MalSing. As such Gophers became the first local company
to collaborate with Aapico ITS, which was named the Frost & Sullivan Award
for the Most Promising Car Navigation Company in 2008. New QuatrO and VisiO
navigation devices will now come pre-installed with Aapico ITS’s Powermaps
software. For a start the Powermaps is a notable improvement over the MapKing
navigation software it replaces. On the 5-inch VisiO Lite unit, graphics are
crisp, clear & easy to understand be it day or night rendering, with up to
four direction markers given for drivers to plan ahead. The Powermaps’ database
is comprehensive with most roads accurately mapped out and important landmarks
such as banks, petrol stations and government offices marked out.
5. Wrist Watch. Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono Speed Black chronometer
watch. The most interesting thing about the watch is that its 44mm
stainless-steel case is coated with virtually unscratchable DLC coating.
A product of modern nanotechnology, the DLC makes it easy to provide just about
any material diamond-like resistance to scratches, dings and some other types
of mechanical damage. Of course, you can scratch a DLC-coated
watch but that must be another object, which is harder. Say, a real diamond. As
you can see on the photos, the Chopard Mille Miglia GT XL Chrono Speed
Black chronometer watch comes equipped with split-level chronograph
counters, bezel with tachometric scale, a pair of pushers almost hugging the
crown and ‘12′ and ‘6′ numericals stenciled on the watch’s sapphire crystal.
The watch features a natural black rubber strap decorated with the 1960s Dunlop
Racing tire-tread motif. The strap is fitted with folding steel clasp, which is
also DLC-coated. Inside the watch, which is a certified Chronometer for that
matters, is hidden a famous Valjoux 7750 movement. By the way, the caliber is
absolutely adored by numerous watchmaking companies. Prices start from RM20K upwards.
6. Subscription. For those of you on a budget, there is always the most favorite of presents,
which will last the whole year thru.
Subscription to a car magazine like Asian Auto or 8Cars. Try and find out what he likes the best and subscribe to it.
The above six are just a small selection of ideas and a guide for you. Remember! Love is all about giving and
not receiving.
