Reading up on cars is always an excellent way to spend some leisure or bathroom time, both of which should be plentiful during the holidays. There’s the excellent Car Design Yearbook series by Stephen Newbury. Made for the armchair Randy Rodriguez in all of us, Car Design Yearbook compiles all the production and concept cars released that year. (Mr. Rodriguez is the Filipino designer of the Nissan 370Z.) Plenty of photos are coupled with the fascinating stories behind individual models as well as automotive design trends.
For rabid motorsports fans, you can’t do much better than giving them a (very heavy) copy of Ferrari Formula One or McLaren Formula One. Rainer Schlegelmilch is the man behind the lens, and no one has captured the unforgettable spectacle of the sport, and the quiet moments when drivers think that no one’s looking, as well as he has. For non-Ferrari and McLaren fans, Mr. Schlegelmilch has also published the amazing Grand Prix de Monaco and several roadcar brand histories, including the excellent “Mercedes”. Car Design Yearbook and the Schlegelmilch books are available at National Bookstore, from P500 and up.
For kids and the young at heart, we found a unique-looking set of automotive building blocks. Automoblox is a wooden construction toy that allows one to mix and match different automotive bodies, cockpits and wheels. The original set are about 250mm long and come with plastic figures, while the mini line cars are palm-sized. Designed by Patrick Calello, the toys have wooden car body sections with plastic interconnects, polycarbonate wheels and screens and rubber tires. With names like the C9 Sports Coupe, T9 Pickup Truck and S9 Sedan, the vehicles follow a clean retro-futuristic design theme.
It’s a good way to teach young kids fine motor skills and demonstrate how cars are assembled. (Of course, a better way would be to arrange a field trip at one of our local car plants, but that is another story.) For grownups, it’s a good way to relieve stress after a hard day at the office. The mini vehicles are priced from P600 and up, with a boxed set of three at around P1100. Available at Powerbooks.
Actually, one gift can easily trump an F1 book, and that’s a trip to one of the 2011 races. 2010 has been one of the most suspenseful seasons recent memory, but indications are 2011 will be even better, with stronger Mercedes and McLaren teams. The Australian Grand Prix (March 27) is closer than it seems. Red Rock Travel has packages starting at USD668 for the Malaysian GP to USD1860 for Melbourne. Visit www.redrocktravel.net
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