15 High-Octane Gifts for the Car Lover in Your Life
From smart garage upgrades to track-ready tools, these picks will thrill anyone who eats, sleeps, and breathes cars.
The car lover in your life will honestly be happy if you just let them info-dump on you about their latest vehicular obsession over a holiday meal. That being said, if you want to reward them with more than your attention, there are many, many enthusiast-oriented gifts out there to make their eyes light up brighter than the Christmas tree at an NHRA start line.
Here are our picks for the most fun, most educational, and just plain coolest high-octane gifts you can give a passionate gearhead.
Hot Wheels Special Editions
One of the perks of growing up is that there are Hot Wheels out there for every season of life. This makes them the perfect gift for car lovers who can’t always afford to park every one of their dream vehicles in the garage at home but who have plenty of desk space to devote to their 1:64 scale collection. The Hot Wheels Car Culture line is a fantastic place to start, as it includes a full series of JDM performance machines. Perhaps Fast & Furious tie-ins are more the speed of the gearhead in your life? And don’t forget the Team Transports line of liveried race cars and their respective haulers.
High-End Slot Cars
More into speed than show and display? Leveling up your slot cars game lets you leave childish things behind and embrace the realism, attention to detail, and technical competence provided by sets like this BRE Datsun Champions set. With two track layouts available, plus a Datsun 510 and Datsun 240Z in BRE team colors, this gift will have the classic motorsports fan in your life salivating. If play space is limited, you can also opt for this Racemasters Infinity set from slot car masters AFX, which has a modest 2-by-4-foot footprint.
Steering Wheel and Pedals
Is your gift target’s space to race limited entirely to the virtual world? If video games and simulations take the place of slots, then a steering wheel and pedal setup is a thoughtful way to improve their chances in digital competition. With 900 degrees of full rotation, the Logitech G29 wheel matches the lock to lock of an actual Formula 1 car, while the pedals offer full adjustment that allows their responsiveness to be tuned to match the preferences of any player. The wheel is even wrapped in hand-stitched leather that might actually be nicer than the materials on the tiller sitting in the driveway.
Deep-Dive Automotive Reading
The automotive industry is packed with high stakes drama. Behind every vehicle that makes it to market is a complex and fascinating story of corporate intrigue, engineering excellence, and sheer determination. Perhaps no book better pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get from design sketch to showroom than Mary Walton’s Car. Written while she was embedded with the team responsible for the third-generation, oval-tastic Ford Taurus, Walton’s tale is as revealing as it is engrossing. Shopping for a Mopar fan instead? Try The Critical Path from Brock Yates, which applies a similarly detailed eye to the reinvention of Chrysler’s all-conquering minivan.
Motorsports Movie Madness
Not every automotive reader wants to crack a spine when it’s time to unwind. Fortunately, there are plenty of movies out there that explore the stories behind some of racing’s most interesting stories. F1 fans can’t help but be drawn in by the saga of Senna, a documentary that paints an indelible picture of fan favorite driver Ayrton Senna’s life and tragic end. For those who want more of a dramatized view of racing’s past, there’s the creatively named Ford vs. Ferrari, which focuses on the struggles Carroll Shelby, Henry Ford II, and of course Ken Miles went through to achieve their winning campaign at Le Mans.
Tool Kit Upgrade
Almost everyone has at least a few tools kicking around to take care of odd jobs both in the driveway and the home, but the gift of a comprehensive, car-focused tool kit is a major upgrade to someone looking to get started doing their own maintenance or tackling DIY repairs. This affordable choice from Eastvolt includes nearly 250 pieces, ranging from sockets to wrenches to screwdrivers to hex keys, providing excellent coverage for the widest range of possible projects. It also comes in a durable hard plastic shell that will resist any “oops” damage that might tumble its way.
Bluetooth Code Reader Dongle
A proper diagnosis is the first step to dealing with automotive problems, whether it’s something minor like a malfunctioning sensor or something more serious like a problem with emissions equipment or engine timing. Dealing with a check engine light on the go has never been easier than when you gift someone an OBD II Bluetooth dongle to keep in the glove compartment. These small scanners plug into a vehicle’s OBD II port so you can quickly read and erase codes and display an impressive amount of information about your automobile using one of many compatible smart phone apps, such as Car Scanner ELM OBD2 and Torque Pro.
Lithium-Ion Jump Start Kit
If you’re shopping for someone in a cold climate, why not add a jump start kit alongside that dongle in the glove box? Companies like NOCO now offer incredibly compact lithium-ion jump starters that can fit comfortably in your vehicle’s center console or cargo compartment, too, while sacrificing none of the starting power found in older and heavier lead-acid designs. Not only do these pint-size power packs have the juice needed to crank a dead battery under the hood, but they can also charge your phone, so you can call for emergency assistance if required.
Foam Cannon
For those who haven’t jumped off the detailing deep end but who still want to keep their car cleaner than what a bucket and sponge has to offer, then it’s time to give the gift of a foam cannon. Connecting one of these devices to a pressure washer provides instant soap coverage over a large vehicle surface, which makes for much more even removal of dirt and better protection of an automobile’s finish during the washing process. You can even find units that connect to a traditional garden hose if a pressure washer isn’t in the picture.
Car Cover
Once a car is clean, the best way to keep it looking its best is to protect it from the elements with a cover. There are car covers out there for nearly every type of storage situation, whether the recipient is concerned about rain and tree sap attacking the paint when parked outdoors or if dust is a worry while stored inside. With many different materials, shapes, and sizes available, you won’t have any trouble finding a protective blanket that will help preserve a gearhead’s pride and joy for years.
NASCAR Racing Experience
For many motorsports fans, getting the chance to drive on the same racetrack as their heroes is the ultimate fantasy. Give the racing lover in your life the opportunity to turn laps in the shadow of their favorite drivers with the NASCAR Racing Experience. Hosted at nearly two dozen NASCAR tracks across the country, the Racing Experience puts fans behind the wheel of a stock car and lets them touch speeds that would torch a state trooper’s radar gun in a safe and controlled environment—all under the watchful eye of professional drivers. For most of us, this is as close as we’ll get to the adrenaline of pulling into victory lane.
More info: NASCAR Racing Experience
High-Performance Driving School
If the racing fan in your life wants to hone their own driving skills and start down the path toward becoming a weekend track rat, then a gift certificate for a high-performance driving school is the perfect gift. Whether it’s a formal instruction program like the Skip Barber Racing School or a run-what-you-brung teaching day at a local track from the closest chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, NASA, or SCCA, a driving school is the best opportunity to blossom behind the wheel and learn the ins and outs of how to be fast on a road course.
Nomex Shirt
Safety first is the order of the day in any racing situation. Why not give the high-performance driver in your life the kind of apparel that improves both comfort and protection in a high-octane environment like the track? A Nomex long-sleeved, high-necked shirt offers excellent fire and heat resistance while remaining breathable enough to wear under a full fire suit if desired. Available in both black and white from trusted supplier OMP, this Nomex top is a must-have for anyone pushing the performance envelope on their next track day in pursuit of the fastest possible lap with full peace of mind.
Books to Make You Faster
Shaving seconds from your personal best starts with the brain, which makes it vital to keep feeding it with as much knowledge and insight about driving as possible between track days. Both novices and experienced track drivers alike will learn from Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving, one of the most respected tomes on finding speed between each apex. Other masterpieces of the genre include Ultimate Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley and of course Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving from Carl Lopez.
Decorating the Garage
After the projects have been put away and the race car is under cover, why not offer something that will brighten up a car lover’s garage even when they’re not wrenching? This illuminated LED track map of the Nürburgring is sized to fit on any wall, and it comes complete with segment names carved into its acrylic background, so you won’t have to memorize all the important corners and passing zones. There’s an entire world of automotive-themed garage art out there to complement this illuminated map, too, letting you get as creative with your giving as artists are with their depictions of automotive culture.
Disclosure: MotorTrend may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our affiliate links.
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