If the thought of yet another Porsche coffee table book or lawn chair made from rusted Honda CR-X wheels nestled under your Christmas tree brings on the nausea, be advised there are holiday gift alternatives for the discerning car junkie.
BusinessWeek takes the gearhead's peculiar interests to heart and has released a list you the reader just might want to nonchalantly pass along to your significant other.
Not too surprisingly, gadgets top the must-have list. Dodads like portable GPS units and hands-free phone systems are especially popular this year, while thankfully becoming more affordable and more capable. As more new cars incorporate Bluetooth capability into on-board systems, gadgets like these become increasingly popular for folks who spend a lot of time on wheels.
Safety devices, such as the Swiss Tech BodyGuard 7-in-1 PLatinum Series Emergency Tool (FYI, the name is bigger than the actual tool) mentioned in the article incorporates a number of safety tools like window hammers and a seat belt cutter into a key fob.
On the extreme end of the spectrum, and certainly fo the more well-heeled auto enthusiast, are experiences such as race school enrollment, track days and exotic car rental by the day. While the experience might be short lived, for the recipient it's likely a once in a lifetime chance to drive a $200,000 Ferrari in anger. What auto enthusiast could say no to that?
The complete list is available here. Finally, our fellow bloggers at Jalopnik seem to have uncovered this year's ultimate geektastic gift. Ferrari has teamed up with Lego to produce a 1:8 scale model of their championship-winning 2007 F1 racer. With working steering, suspension and pistons, it's as close to the real thing as you can get using little plastic bricks. Your inner child should not be ignored.