Christmas gift ideas for the petrolhead in your life, or maybe something for you to treat yourself with
1. HO HO
The Phase III GT-HO is the king of Aussie muscle cars and for most of us, they’re simply unobtainium. Even tribute Phase IIIs are telephone numbers these days. Luckily Classic Carlectables has come to the rescue with this superb 1:18 die-cast model of the famous fast Falcon for a fraction of the price, expect around $300. This striking Yellow Ochre version with black interior is limited to a run of 1150 units and launched in October 2022. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are amazing. Check out classiccarlectables.com.au for stockists.
2. Take a seat
The folks at Rare Spares have just about any part you can imagine for almost every make and model. If your car could do with new pews or you want to schmik up the cabin, check out the Autotecnica sport seat with a unique headrest design and lumbar support. Made of durable cloth and available in grey or two tones, these seats are the thing for a comfy back on long drives. Setting yourself up with an ideal driving position is easy thanks to the dual backrest adjusters. And fear not about suitability as the $638 Autotecnica seat is ADR approved. Jump online to rarespaeres.net.au
3. Doing a Shoey
Pininfarina was established by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina and best known for its design, engineering, and production of Ferraris for over half a century. A collaboration of Pininfarina’s design and Sabelt’s racing experience results in these driving and leisure shoes that’ll lighten your wallet by $310 (199,00 Euro). Finished in a brilliant yellow with black gum inserts, they are made of breathable perforated leather with ankle padding. The inner sole is a shock-resistant gel and the sole, high grip. Sizes range from 40-45. The details are at shop.pininfarina.it
4. Plastic fantastic
While Holden stopped making cars here five years ago, the iron lion and Mount Panorama are inextricably linked. None more so than with Peter Brock. His first win came half a century ago in an LJ Torana GTR XU-1. GM Special Vehicles flogs Silverados, Corvettes and merchandise including a full-size fibreglass replica of the bonnet of the 1972 Bathurst-wining Torana. It’s finished in the HDT colours, red and white with the 28C of Brocky’s XU-1. A Must for Brock and Holden fans. Priced at $2995 from gmsvstore.com.au
5. Turn key
If you’re in the market for a new V8 donk for your Ford look no further. The crew at VPW have Ford Performance Parts X2347 dressed long block crate engines. The engines are hand-assembled and decked with the best aftermarket parts and put out a healthy 264kW / 542nM at the crank. The 302 features SCAT forged steel crankshaft, forged steel I-beam conrods, forged Mahle pistons and aluminium Ford Performance heads. Feeding the fuel is a Holley 570 CFM carby. Ready to drop in for $20,632 from vpw.com.au.
From Unique Cars #472, Nov/Dec 2022