Father’s Day gifts that won’t drive your dad around the bend
Oh, another tie. One with little footballs, look — laces out!
Your dad doesn’t need another sports-themed novelty work noose, he needs you to stop hitting your sister for five minutes and let him have a 10-minute sanity-recharge in peace and quiet.
Ah, fatherhood, a state of grace a friend once described as entering a multiple-decade game of Whac-a-Mole. It does have its rewards, of course, and this Father’s Day, why not reward your Dad’s hard work with something to relax in or read?
Here’s a list of a few great automotive books, and fun car-themed wear for Dad.
BLIPSHIFT T- SHIRT
Blipshift is an interesting concept.
Basically a crowdsourced Tshirt company, it looks to the Internet for design inspiration and keep and print the best in limited runs. Once the shirts are gone, they’re gone, but there’s always something new to choose from
And, once in a while, you’ll see Blipshift pop up with a greatest hits type sale, where the designers rework some of their most popular designs. Usually clever, often funny, and certainly cool, they’re the perfect attire for showing up to a Cars ’n’ Coffee meet. Also, at $15, they’re inexpensive. Find them at blipshift.com.
BY BROOKS TOO BROAD FOR LEAPING
Pretty much anything by Denise McCluggage is likely of interest to your dad. She covered racing during a golden age and was as skilled behind the wheel as she was behind the keyboard. She died this year at 88, but the life she lived was legendary.
A collection of stories, each one a rare gem, McCluggage’s By Brooks Too Broad for Leaping is a must read. However, it’s quite difficult to find: you’ll have to scour the used bookstores for this one. I’m sure Dad will appreciate the effort.
HERITAGE RACING APPAREL
Founded by the father and son team of Jeff and Casey Maciejewski, Heritage Racing is a small business selling vintage-style shirts and prints via Etsy. Jeff started the business as a way to help his son, Casey, learn about entrepreneurship and marketing.
Along with some neat Tshirt designs, Heritage also has some pretty unique stuff. They even sell a colouring book of race cars aimed at adults — these are growing in popularity as a relaxing way to unwind after sitting in front of a computer screen all day. You can find them at etsy.com/ca/shop/HeritageRacing.
FOUND
A novel written by Greg Long, formerly from Vancouver and now residing in Seattle, Found is all about uncovering barn finds of old cars, and the relationships and stories that are attached to them. You don’t even really need to be a gearhead to appreciate it. It’s the people and their lives that Found does such a good job of capturing.
This is Long’s first novel, and you can find it on Amazon for the not-very-princely sum of 10 bucks. As a backyard summer read, you’d be hard-pressed to beat it.
PORSCHE APPARE L
How deep are your pockets? Porsche’s accessories page is as wonderful and terrifying as the options lists for their cars can be ($100 for a set of six coasters). However, they do have some really cool stuff, especially if your Dad is into 911s and the like.
Along with some excellent Steve McQueen T-shirts, there’s a whole line of Martini-racing men’s jackets, basically the same as what the team will be wearing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Prices for most items are pretty steep, but most of the gear is actually quite subtle. Find the whole catalogue at shop2.porsche.com/usa/.
GO LIKE HELL
Speaking of Le Mans, another great summer read for dad is A.J. Baime’s Go Like Hell, an account of the battle between Ford and Ferrari.
One of the best grudge matches of all time, this story has everything — fierce Italian pride, gutsy American know-how, steel, gasoline, rubber, and speed.
You’ll be getting dad ahead of the curve, too, as Go Like Hell is being made into a movie, although production has yet to start.
You can find the book at amazon.ca/GoLikeHell-Ferrari-Battle/dp/0547336055.
DAS WAUTO
Another T-shirt and prints company, Das Wauto is worth a visit just for the Keep Calm And Countersteer T-shirt. They also have some great model-specific prints for Miata, Lancia, and Saab enthusiasts, and a couple of racing-themed shirts too. You can find the online store at society6.com/daswauto
SPEED SECRETS
Vancouver born Ross Bentley wrote the book on going fast, and I mean that literally. His Speed Secrets is used by dozens of instructors across North America.
From the original book, Bentley’s works now stretch to a library, all of which you can find here: speedsecrets.com/books/.
ENTHUSIAST APPAREL
One more T-shirt company, and this one has a broad list that’s sure to appeal. Enthusiast Apparel’s stuff is a little more stylized for your modern dad, but there are all kinds of stuff to appeal to fans of classics as well. You can find them at enthusiastapparel.com/.