Every Christmas we struggle – or at least I know I do – to think what to buy family and friends.

Being one-track-minded (pardon the pun) these gifts quite often end up being car related, but what should they be?

The car manufacturers are a good place to start, they all do a fantastic range of gifts and you can tailor the gift to what car your intended target drives, or perhaps wants to drive. But, who does the best gifts?

Mercedes: For the wine drinker!

I can speak from experience here as I have actually bought some of the produce I am talking about. You have to be a bit careful though as the clocks tent to fall apart on occasion. However, what about wine bottle stops? Mercedes make them in the colour schemes of its gear knobs and I rather like them I have to say!

For the artist:

Motorsport art! There is an awful lot of it about and some of it isn’t brilliant, but don’t let that put you off because there is plenty that is good. Older cars work better in my view but I’d consider your audience. It’s a bit late to be going to Goodwood and buying works from one of the vendors there but you can buy online pretty easily. Just a quick tip though: spend a reasonable amount of money if you can, and buy what you know – it is pretty easy for an artist to get detail incorrect and that’ll annoy any petrolhead worth his salt.

Watches:

Wow. Watches are certainly a big subject when it comes to cars. There’s Breitling for Bentley, IWC with Mercedes-Benz or Panerai for Ferrari. In fact, it’s actually a bit tough here to advise what to get, but be aware of your prospective recipient may not like the Ferrari prancing horse emblazoned upon his watch face….or he might for that matter.

Tables/Car wheels:

Wheels make great coffee tables! I’m sure we’ve all seen them before, with a piece of circular glass covering a pretty alloy wheel. I was at Williams – the Formula 1 team – earlier this year and they had F1 wheels for sale at £90, what better talking point can you have in the house? And, if you have too many wheels lying around (I accept that this may not be a problem for everyone) then you can make them into hose pipe holders.

Driving shoes:

Racing drivers use special shoes to drive their cars – those with small pedal boxes and sensitive throttles. You’ll then have to decide if you really want to look like a racing driver or a well-healed enthusiast with some smart brown leather shoes. I’d suggest the second option if you are going to step out of the car and go shopping!

Track day:

Why not buy your other half a track day? We all have exalted opinions of our driving prowess, which may or may not have any foundation in truth – so why not find out how good you, or the giftee really is! You can at least have a laugh at their expense if they turn out to be rubbish. Just a word of advice though: go somewhere with plenty of run-off unless you are going to invest in some expensive trackday insurance. Why not go karting beforehand too? It’ll be a good way of tempering enthusiasm and expectation before stepping into the big time. If you can afford it try and procure some tuition that wouldn’t be a bad idea either – ask any racing driver what is the best way to make a car faster and he will always tell you to improve the driver!

Gran Turismo:

I couldn’t have suggested this one fifteen years ago could I? But now it seems like a no-brainer, and perfect for any petrol head from a teenager to an indulgent 50 year old. Gran Turismo 5 is the latest edition of the Playstation game and it really is top-drawer – especially if you have some decent pedals and a steering wheel to go with it. You could even wear your new driving shoes in? And Father Christmas (if that is you) can have a blast after a bottle of red and a large chunk of turkey and stuffing.
 

For some more gift ideas, check our slideshow below:

Race Track Coasters

If a friend of yours has just moved and you want to offer him something cool for his new home our suggestion is a set of Race Track coasters from Griot Garage. They are machined from layered HDPE and feature six of the finest race tracks in the world: Monaco, Spa, Laguna Seca, Road America, Watkins Glen, and the Modern Nürburgring. Cool uh?

Maserati CD

You know someone who is a true Maserati fanatic and you don't have a sufficient budget to offer his dream GranCabrio Sport. Then why not make him dream that he is driving one thanks to the Maserati Lounge CD - "The Trident Lounge Journey"? If your friend or family member his imaginitive than he will certainly be capable of imagining himself on his dream machine on the roads of Côte D'Azur.

T-shirt Print

T-shirts with cool prints are always a good solution when you don't know what to buy to one of your friends. If your searching for that kind of gift for petrol head friend or family member we suggest you to Society6 where you can find a series of different prints related to cars. Car fashion rules!

Remote Control Bentley

Young driving enthusiasts can begin their journey behind the wheel early with the 1:12 scale model remote control Bentley Continental Supersports. Just like the real thing, although not quite reaching the 325km/h top speed, this effortless driving experience will be sure to deliver excitement to the lucky recipient.

F1 Race Stars

For petrol heads that are into videogames we suggest the newest arcade F1-themed car game: F1 Race Stars. For someone that still thinks Super Mario Kart rules, than you should definitely consider offering him this new game where he can give life to the videogamed Sebastian Vettel and race in the most crazy tracks ever seen.

Mercedes-Benz Cologne

Cologne is always a great choice when you don't know what to offer to a man. If he is a man who likes to drive fancy Mercedes-Benz cars then why not go for a cologne created by the brand? This Woody Spicy fragrance will definitely bring luxury and premium style to whoever uses it

918 Spyder Chronograph

Next year Porsche will be unveiling its new supercar, the 918 Spyder, and if you know someone that doesn't stop talking about how amazing the car will be you should think of being him the 918 Spyder Chronograph watch so that he can start counting the hours, minutes and seconds until that day. Only 918 will be produced so a more exclusive gift will be difficult to find.

Race Tracks on the wall

What about some office art work of your friend our family member favourite track in the world? These pieces from Griots Garage make a unique and wonderful gift for that hard-to-buy-for enthusiast on your list. Tracks include Spa, Laguna Seca, Monza, Le Mans, Silverstone, Nurburgring, Monte Carlo (Monaco), Hockenheim and a lot more. Simple but classy!

F12berlinetta scale model

Another expensive but extraordinary Christmas gift would be a 1:8 scale model of the most recent Ferrari model, the F12berlinetta. Here at Autoviva we fell in love with it and we wouldn't mind having one even if it got hit by Professor Szalinski's ray from "Honey I shrunk the kids".

Driving Experience

If you have the financial chance of fullfilling the dream of petrol head loved one than this has to be the perfect gift present. Every year Porsche, Bentley, BMW offer driving courses in the snow or on track that are the ultimate experience as you are able to take their top cars to the limits. We have to warn you that it won't be cheap, but whoever gets it will never forget it.

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