Holiday shopping for a car buff? California's King Bag Co. creates funky, fashionable purses, travel bags and messenger bags from vintage auto seat covers.
You know what’s difficult about buying a holiday gift for a car buff? Selecting just one! There is a wealth of cool products and experiences out there sure to make the car, truck or motorcycle lover on your list happy. Here are a few favorites selected by E3 Spark Plugs‘ staff:
Corvette Car-a-Day 2012: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a different gorgeous vintage ‘Vette to drive each of the year’s 352 days? Sorry ’bout your luck. But all is not lost. With the Corvette Car-a-Day 2012 calendar, you can at gaze across your desk at the antique car of your dreams. The calendar features more than 300 black-and-white photos of the legendary “America’s Sports Car” by David Newhardt and Chris Endres, two of the nation’s leading automotive photographers. And it comes with a bonus: a die-cast Corvette toy.
Cover of Tom Cotter's "The Vincent in the Barn: Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology"
The Vincent in the Barn: They are words to the vintage motorcycle lover’s ears: “You know, there’s an old bike that’s been sitting in this garage for years.” Variations of that one line have kick-started many a journey to find and restore a genuine classic bike rescued from the hollows of long-forgotten garages, basements, barns, sheds and fields. The Vincent in the Barn: Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology is the latest of Author Tom Cotter’s “In the Barn” series of photographic short-story books that chronicle the discovery and restoration of classic rides. “You never know what you might find in a barn, back of a garage or under a dusty tarp,” says CycleWorld of the 256-page book.
Hemmings Car Lover’s Cruise: Now this is the gift that will truly impress. And it will give the auto buff you love something to look forward to in 2012. Hemmings Motor News’ annual Car Lovers Cruise departs from Rome August 13th and makes stops in Santorini, Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Istanbul and Ephesus, Turkey; and Naples, Italy before returning to port in Rome. While at sea, passengers will enjoy automotive seminars, private cocktail parties and mixing and mingling with automotive enthusiasts from around the world.
Monticello Motor Club: Billed as North America’s premier automotive resort and racetrack, the Monticello Motor Club offers great getaway packages for car lovers. Excursions will include the one-day Cadillac CTS-V High Performance Driving Experience, a two-day racing school and exclusive racing gifts and gear. It’s located in Monticello, NY at the foot of the Catskill Mountains and promises to be the gift that’ll put everything else under the Christmas tree to shame.
King Bag Co.: For the fashionable car buff on your list, you can’t go wrong with a selection from the King Bag Co. When the iconic King Kovers auto upholstery shop in uptown Oakland went out of business, artist Bobby Glasser went on a liquidation sale shopping spree, buying all the vintage (mostly 1950s-era) seat covers, seat belts and other assorted upholstery scraps he could get his hands on. Today, that material has been reborn as bowling bag-styled purses, travel bags, messenger bags and coin purses in funky retro patterns and colors. Look for King Bag Co. products in stores throughout California or on the company’s Etsy site.
From all of us at E3 Spark Plugs – Happy holiday shopping!
