Ah, December. Shopping centres are playing the same Christmas songs ad nauseum, holiday decorations are going up, and everyone is making that same joke about thawing out Michael Buble.
Truly, it's the most wonderful time of the year.
But this time of year can't be all Mariah Carey on repeat until 11:59pm on the 25th (even though it ABSOLUTELY SHOULD), especially now that you're a somewhat adult with responsibilities and your own shopping to do.
Unless your parents still do your shopping for you or you just piggyback on someone else's present and simply sign a card. Actually now that I think about it, this list is for you too. Do your own shopping. You lousy freeloader.
But maybe that's unfair. After all, shopping can be a rough experience if you're unprepared, especially this time of year.
There's nowhere to park, everyone is on edge, the stores are cramped and there's only so many times you can listen to 'Because of Christmas Day' before you want to impale yourself on a candy cane. I mean it's not like it's 'All I want for Christmas is you' or anything...
But fret not, we're here to help. We've got ten great gift ideas for any motoring enthusiasts in your life. And the best part is that most of them can be bought online! Yay!
So instead of navigating a crowded shopping centre full of screaming children, trying not to make awkward eye contact with an uncomfortably skinny Santa Claus who also seems equally unhappy about the screaming children, you can do your shopping from the comfort of your own home, with present ideas like:
Fordite Jewelery
$7.00 + (pricing will depend on what style you buy and where you buy it from)
We've talked about Fordite before so we won't go into too much detail here, so TL:DR it's layers of enamel car paint that have been chipped off painting racks and turned into jewelery.
I mean sure, you can get someone a necklace with a standard precious stone in it. If you're boring. But Fordite not only looks cool, but it's also a neat conversation piece. Plus it means your enthusiast can show off their fandom in places where it's not socially acceptable for them to wear their Ford merch, like formal dinners, job interviews and funerals.
Okay, maybe not that last one.
Real Fordite is getting rarer, but you can also find custom made Fordite. Prices differ depending on what you're buying and where you're buying it from. Start with Urban Relic Design or search Fordite on Etsy.
Theo Klein Service Car Station
$173+
Are you a parent to a budding mechanic? Grandparent? Fun relative? Grown-up child? Well boy do we have the perfect gift for you.
The Theo Klein Service Car Station is the front half of a car with an opening hood and an engine inside. The toy comes with 58 components that are all based on actual parts from your everyday driver, like spark plugs, wing nuts and brake drums.
The lucky kid who opens this can perform up to fifteen different repair jobs from and checking the "oil levels" to replacing a headlight. It has lights and sounds too, with a working horn, headlights and ignition, so a junior mechanic can fire it up once they're done tinkering.
When we showed this to everyone in the office it was to a chorus of "where was this when I was a kid!", so if you've got a mini car nut somewhere in your life and you feel like spoiling them, head to Overstock, Ebay, or whatever online shopping you prefer, and give this a look.
Retro-Racing Games
$9.99+
If you’re not keen on shelling out for a big triple A game release like Gran Turismo, why not smack your friends right back to their childhood (in a good way, please don’t actually hit your friends) with a retro racing game?
80s Overdrive was just released for the Nintendo 3DS and is available via Nintendo e-shop for $9.99. Just take a look at this trailer and try and tell us that any of your friends who were born before 1995 won’t get a kick out of this.
Or, why not try Micromachines World Series?
The Micromachines games are one of those key nostalgia pieces for most of us in our mid-'20s and beyond, and with similar gameplay and updated graphics, World Series should press that nostalgia button in the most rose-coloured way.
Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City
$18.95+ (hardcover) $10.78+ (paperback)
This is more for history buffs, but if you're someone who's into automotive history it's an interesting look at another side of the car world's most famous figures.
Greg Grandin's book explores the history of Fordlandia, Henry Ford's attempt to bring the American Midwest to the middle of the Amazon rainforest. It uh... it went about as well as you'd expect.
We did an article on Fordlandia back in June, and it's a fascinating piece of history. Grandin's book digs deep into the events, exploring Ford's reasoning for building Fordlandia, what went wrong and why.
This "...parable of one man's arrogant attempt to force his will on the natural world," will force you to stare at and interrogate the hubris that humankind is capable of.
Plus it'll give you some great pub ammo. Not to mention it’ll make a great coffee table book. You can find Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City on Amazon.
Nerf Nitro Longshot Smash
$35
It's a Nerf gun that shoots cars.
Do... do you really need more of a reason? What are you still doing here. Go buy one. They're awesome.
Petrolicious Art
$65+
Petrolicious is, if you’ve somehow not heard of it, the most tasteful automotive outlet there is. Just like their videos which drip with ultra-respectful nostalgia and finely-crafted production values, their often insanely good merchandise follows suit.
Check out the wall art in particular. There’s one tasteful way to show your car love around the house.
Prices start at around $65 (not including shipping) and move up from there. Petrolicious showcases a rotating roster of featured artworks.
Track Sculptures
$105+
Over at tracksculptures.com (of course that’s a thing) you can order these amazing wood cut outs of pretty much any track you can imagine.
‘Surely’ you complain, ‘this is an American thing with everybody’s favourite European tracks to pay the bills, how can I show my love for classic Aussie V8s!’.
Well, you’ll have to get it shipped from God-knows-where, but they have a prominently featured Australia section, featuring some tracks that don’t even exist anymore, as well as Mount Panorama, naturally.
Mighty Car Mods ‘Royal Nasho’ sticker
$10
By far the cheapest gift in the arsenal, the Mighty Car Mods ‘Royal Nasho’ sticker is a fun poke at those dorks who put Nurburgring stickers on the back of their Toyota Starlets. This time featured on the 11cm x 14cm vinyl is NSW’s Royal National Park.
At $10 it’ll make a fun gift even for that family member who is into cars but doesn’t really deserve to have money spent on them…
Gran Turismo Sport
$79
One of this year’s racing game highlights, Gran Turismo Sport is the PlayStation 4 exclusive that some people have been waiting up to four years for.
Although, reviews may have people still on the fence, the game is experiencing a surprising amount of post-release content to attempt to expand on the experience. If the person you have in mind is the competitive sort, they’ll love it thanks to the slick online multiplayer.
Read our Gran Turismo Sport review here.
Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel + Shifter
$478
Look, if you can’t do the real thing (flying to the Nurbugring and hiring a car with track insurance is a bit more expensive…) then racing the tracks of the world in your living room on driving sim of your choice is the next best thing.
I’d recommend Thrustmaster, but the Logitech set is at a better price point and is sold in both Xbox and PS4 versions. Get the shifter, too. Just like real life, driving isn’t the same without it.
Got any good gift recommendations to add to our list? Drop them in the comments below.
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