Best money-no-object Christmas presents for car fans

After our budget-friendly selection of Christmas presents, it’s now time to splash some serious cash and really treat the petrolhead in your life with a blow-the-budget dream gift.

• Best Christmas gifts under £50

They can’t fail to be impressed by our car-inspired choices, which cover everything from driving and biking experiences to relaxing in comfort and trips down memory lane. 

So whether your car fan is a dedicated Formula One follower, classic car connoisseur or simply a lover of the world’s top motoring marques, we have something for them in our 20 Mega Gifts for Christmas 2014.

Below Zero Ice Driving

Price: From £1,600 a day per person, based on two sharing a car
Contact: www.belowzeroicedriving.com

If you’re feeling generous, then this is one of the top driving  experiences around. Tuthill-prepared Porsche 911 rally cars – plus instruction from rally professionals and the wide expanses of a frozen Swedish lake – ensure the ultimate ice and snow driving day. Travel and accommodation aren’t included.

Jaguar Mk2 sofa

Price: £2,200
Contact: shop.classicheroes.co.uk

No petrolhead’s man cave or home is complete without a piece of car-derived furniture. This 1,550mm-wide sofa features a rear bench seat from a 1967 Jaguar Mk2. It’s been reupholstered in soft tan leather and fitted to a 316 polished steel tube frame, which is designed to imitate a roll cage. A fun but practical piece of classic car heritage that would look great in your home.

Aston Martin #5 director’s chair

Price: £395
Contact: www.astonstore.co.uk

Perfect for that trip to Goodwood’s Revival or Festival of Speed, this folding director’s chair commemorates Aston Martin’s first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1959. It’s made from solid oak and has the same Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather as used in maker Caracalla’s holdalls.

Vertu for Bentley smartphone

Price: £10,700
Contact: www.bentleymotors.com

Connect with the Bentley enthusiast in your life with this smartphone collaboration with Vertu. The Android handset is swathed in stitched leather in the classic Newmarket Tan Bentley shade, with a titanium backplate and a calf hide slip case. There’s also an exclusive app which features Bentley content, alongside the usual Android apps. If this is on your wishlist, you’d better hurry –as there are only 2,000 available.

Casio Edifice Inifiniti Red Bull Racing watch

RRP: £580
Contact: www.casioonline.co.uk

This high-tec watch is one of a recently launched range inspired in its design by the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One team. Features reflect the precise performance invested in the race cars and they’re built to be durable as the casing is made of lightweight metal and the glass is scratchproof. Each is equipped with a stopwatch and all watches are water resistant up to 100m.

Tamiya Fighting Buggy

Price: From £299
Contact: www.hobbyco.net

Re-released as part of Tamiya’s 40th anniversary celebrations, the Fighting Buggy, or Super Champ as it was originally known, will appeal to fans young and old. It’s a great starter RC car for budding racers, while for the big kids it’ll spark memories of remote control cars from their chidhood. Faithfully recreated, it boasts a VW buggy-derived front suspension and distinctive remote rear shock oil reservoir.

#FeelTheForce Black Wheel Rim Table – Sahara Force India

Price: £299
Contact: mememtoexclusives.com

Add a touch of Formula One to your car nut’s living room or office with this table created from a wheel rim used by the Force India team during the 2012 season. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and the 37.5cm high table is in black to match this year’s VJM07.

McLaren LINKS Engineered VIP Ring

Price: £140
Contact: www.mclarenstore.com

As you’d expect from the multiple championship winning McLaren race team, this is no plain metal band. The Links of London-produced item is made from three cushion-shaped rings with washers and held together by eight patented McLaren screws. The stainless steel ring also features a PVD coating similar to that in watches. 

Elgato Smart Power

Price: £79.95 
Contact: www.elgato.com

Never get stranded with a dead iPhone, iPad or iPod again with this neat charger. Not only will the lithium-ion batteries revive your Apple kit up to three times before requiring recharging, but a free app monitors the charge both on the device and the Elgato. You can see the battery reserves via your iPhone and monitor how long it will take for the Apple gadget to be fully charged. It can even remind you to take it with you during the day.

Porsche 911 Silhouette Luminaire

Price: £1,999.99
Contact: shop2.porsche.com

You don’t have to be a fan of the 911to lust after this eye-catching light. Mounted in an aluminium frame, the acrylic glass panels are etched with the silhouettes of the six 911 models. An LED light brings each to life and the individual models can be lit separately, or in an automatic sequence. The Porsche Design-created lamp can also vary the speed of the changes and brightness of the light.

Alfa Romeo 4C IFD cycle

Price: From $4,700 (£2,940 approx)
Contact: www.alfaromeo.co.uk

The stylish 4C sports car now has a cycle to match its svelte lines and will be top of any Alfa Romeo fan’s Christmas wishlist. The two-wheeled version, designed partly by Alfa and made by Campagnia Ducale, has a unique carbon frame, said to look like a stylised 4C and emulate the carbon rails on the car. Steel tie rods are used to keep everything together. Price will depend on the specification you choose.

Ferrari 150 Italia steering wheel replica

Price: £2,100
Contact: store.ferrari.com

Get a grip on a Ferrari this Christmas with this full-size wheel replica, which is perfect for the prancing horse fan. It’s a reminder that driving an F1 car is a complex business and a copy of those used by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa during the 2011 season. It comes with an authenticity certificate and is mounted on a base with a clear dust cover.

GoPro Hero4 Black

Price: £369.99
Contact: gopro.com

Capture that track day, rally or relaxing country drive in professional quality video and stills with this brand new GoPro Hero4 Black. There’s a built-in touch display to make it even easier to use, plus wi-fi to link and control the camera through your smartphone. 

Holden Vintage & Classic Pedal Car

Price: £136.08 
Contact: www.holden.co.uk

You can never start driving too young and this traditional pedal car will make an ideal first vehicle for a budding car fan. It’s suitable for children aged between three and five and is CE approved.

BB Korn tether car racer model

Price: £475
Contact: www.conranshop.co.uk

A must for fans of model cars and Americana, this replica of a BB Korn tether racer is created from original blueprints. It’s made of recycled aluminium with leather seats and rubber tyres.

RSeat W-Stand

Price: 179 Euros (£168 inc VAT approx)
Contact: www.rseat-europe.com

There’s nothing like a wheel and pedals to get the most out of online and console racing, but you need to dedicate a whole room to accommodate most set-ups. The W-Stand can be folded away for easy storage between driving sessions. It’s made from laser-cut steel, supports PC, Playstation and Xbox consoles, and it works with the best force feedback wheels and pedals.

Racing Gold Exhaust Lamp

Price: £14,400 
Contact: www.racinggold.co.uk

An F1 fan couldn’t fail to be impressed with this piece of Red Bull championship winning history. Racing Gold now has access to Sebastian Vettel’s and Mark Webber’s race-winning exhausts to create this floor lamp. It uses gearbox rings as lampholders and comes with a remote control that can be used with other lights. The price also includes a tour of the Red Bull F1 factory in Milton Keynes, Bucks.

Military Manoeuvres driving experience

Price: £190
Contact: www.acfteambuilding.co.uk

If the petrolhead in your life prefers big, tough machines, then this experience is for them. At an off-road site near Bristol Airport you drive three military vehicles, including a tracked Armoured Personnel Carrier, six-wheel-drive Alvis Stalwart and a military Land Rover, over a specially designed course. Weekend sessions last half a day.  

Handmade Leather Mille Miglia Suitcase

Price: £1,554
Contact: www.retroclassiccarparts.com

This tribute to the classic Italian endurance race will certainly stand out on the airport luggage carousel. The case, which measures 645mm by 400mm by 170mm, is hand-made in Spain using Spanish-tanned hide. Hand-sewn, waxed thread is used on corners, hinges, edges and handles for durability. The Mille Miglia comes in red with red or white fastening straps.

HERO Driving Day

Price: £606 
Contact: www.heroevents.eu

Turn the clock back to a time before air- conditioning, power steering and cup holders with this day-long classic car driving experience. The Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation package is designed for a driver and guest, and sees you driving four cars for about an hour each over a route in South and Mid Wales. Cars include the Ford Cortina GT, Alfa GTV 1750, Jaguar E Type and Porsche 911.