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I’ve put together a gift list for the car lover or petrolhead in your life. I’ve based it on products that I own and use, or would like to receive as a gift myself. Where I could, I chose British companies.
Three of these are my own designs, printed to order, so order early for Christmas. I think every one of them would be perfect for the car lover in your life.
Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure
I own this book, and I’ve listened to the audiobook too. Andy Wilman co-created Top Gear and The Grand Tour, and he is Jeremy Clarkson’s oldest friend. This is his inside story of more than twenty years of both shows, told from behind the camera. If you are a fan of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, you will find it fascinating, and so will anyone you buy it for who likes those programmes. It is published in the UK by Michael Joseph.
LEGO® Icons Jaguar E-Type
This is on my Christmas list, and I’m genuinely hoping to get it. It is set 11381, a model for adults with 1,673 pieces and an inline-six engine. Availability of this set changes, so check the listing before you decide.
Ducktail 1972 T-Shirt
This one is mine. It is a technical line drawing of the most famous rear spoiler of them all, with one quiet caption: DUCKTAIL 1972. No logos and no shouting. If you know, you know. It is a soft, 100% cotton unisex T-shirt in Forest, Natural or Navy, made to order.
Ring TYREINFLATE GO 4 cordless tyre inflator
I bought this for my road trip around Europe. I didn’t want to be stuck with a puncture, trying to plug cables into a cigarette lighter. It is compact, rechargeable and easy to use, and it has great reviews. It reads in PSI, bar or kPa and remembers your setting. Ring is based in Leeds.
Auto Finesse Iron Out
I use this one. It is amazingly satisfying, especially on a light-coloured car, because you can watch the contaminants it dissolves run down the paint. It is a pH neutral iron fallout remover, 500 ml (17 fl oz), that is safe on wheels, paint and glass. Auto Finesse is a British company.
Ducktail 1972 Mug, Two-Tone
Another of mine. It is the Ducktail 1972 design on a white ceramic mug with a coloured inside, rim and handle. The colours are named the way a car dealer would name them: Triple Black, Red over Red, Yellow over Yellow, Orange over Orange and Blue over Blue. It holds 325 ml (11 fl oz), and the design is printed on both sides, so it faces you in either hand.
lanpard Faraday pouches for car keys
I own a similar pouch. I couldn’t find the exact one I have, but these do the same job. They block the signal from your key, and they give your keys somewhere tidy to live. There are two in a pack.
Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover
Another product I own, though mine is the older, smaller 325 ml bottle. It is brilliant for those little specks of tar around the wheel arches that seem impossible to shift. They just dissolve. It also deals with glue residue, pen marks, and oil and fuel stains. The current bottle is 500 ml (17 fl oz). Autoglym is a British company, based in Letchworth.
Turbocharger 1.0 Baseball Cap
This one is mine too. It has a simple outline of a turbo on the front. Dad hats aren’t just for dads. It is a low-profile, unstructured six-panel cap in 100% chino cotton twill, with a curved visor and an adjustable strap with an antique buckle. It comes in nine colours.
Autoglym Rapid Aqua Wax
Another product I own. Sometimes you don’t want to do a full wax after a wash, and this is a quick way to get lots of the result for very little effort. It is a 500 ml (17 fl oz) liquid wax kit that protects paintwork, plastic and rubber. Autoglym says it can go on glass too, but keep it off the windscreen. Autoglym is a British company.
Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax
Another product I use. It is easy to use, gives great results and lasts well. It is a 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) carnauba polymer paste wax from Bilt Hamber, an independent British company in Essex. A nice little present for anyone with a car.
Autoglym Bird Dropping Wipes
These are on my Christmas list. I wish I’d had them on my trip to Germany to take the photographs for my Porsche spoilers story. The car was parked overnight before I went to take them, and in the morning it was splattered with bird droppings. That’s when I found out the car washes in Stuttgart don’t open on Sundays. This is a pack of 10 wipes for removing bird mess from paint, glass, plastic trim and bodywork. Autoglym is a British company.
10 stocking fillers for under £10
Sometimes you want to spend a little less and have a bit more fun. Here are 10 top stocking fillers for under £10. Apart from the air freshener and the charger, these aren’t things I own. I picked them because they’re among the best-selling car gifts on Amazon UK, each with hundreds or thousands of good reviews.
- Sex Wax air freshener: the coconut one, which I use myself. It reminds me of the surf shops in Braunton.
- Autoglym Fast Glass: a streak-free cleaner for windows and mirrors, from a British company.
- YOSH magnetic phone holder: clips onto an air vent, and the phone sticks to it with a magnet.
- AINOPE car charger: the one I use. It’s tiny and all metal, and charges two phones at once from the 12V socket.
- BEEWAY blind spot mirrors: small round mirrors for the wing mirrors, to help see into blind spots.
- AstroAI digital tyre pressure gauge: a backlit digital gauge for checking tyre pressures.
- AA emergency hammer and seatbelt cutter: for breaking a side window or cutting a seatbelt in an emergency.
- Personalised number plate keyring: made with the registration of their own car, so order this one early.
- Sakura squeegee ice scraper: an ice scraper with a squeegee on the other side.
- DCS microfibre cloths: a pack of ten large 40 x 40 cm cloths, useful for glass, dashboards and paintwork.
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