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From Swedespeed.com Miscellaneous Features If you’re like the staff here, the holidays bring mixed emotions. Sure, we all love to open gifts, but how much thought really goes into socks or pajamas? What car enthusiasts really want can’t always be wrapped or bought at the mall. As we travel the world to cover shows and events, we are constantly on the lookout for cool things to fill our own offices and garages. We’ve assembled a list of some of the best stuff we’ve come across in the past year. And they all beat the hell out of PJ’s.
1. NINCO N-Digital Slot Car Track and SCX Volvo S60 Challenge 1/32 Scale Slot Car Racer Forget setting up a trainset beneath the Christmas tree. For the ardent auto enthusiast, there’s nothing better than a racetrack lapping the living room. If you want to take your large-scale slot car racing to the next level, NINCO has the answer. Introduced earlier this year, the NINCO N-Digital system utilizes digital control technology to deliver more features and a more realistic racing experience. By going digital, drivers can keep track of lap times and do things like changing lanes and turning lights off and on while driving. But more importantly, NINCO N-Digital allows for different racing modes. GP (Grand Prix) mode allows you to program either for a set race time or number of laps. FL (Fastest Lap) mode is great for qualifying to determine race position. PS (Pit Strategy) mode requires the driver to watch fuel level while racing- an empty tank leaves a dead car on the track! There are many, many more features available with this setup. Any existing NINCO Track can be converted with a Digital Conversion Kit. Any manufacturer’s 1/32 slot car can be converted to NINCO N-Digital with the simple addition of a Digital Control Chip, which measures about an inch square. Most better hobby stores carry the NINCO system. www.ModelRectifier.com Of course, no Volvo enthusiast’s track would be complete without a Volvo racecar. No problem says SCX, who recently released a Volvo S60 Challenge racer. We found the car readily available at online hobby store HotSlots132.com. www.hotslots132.com 2. ”I’m Too Sexy for My Volvo, A Mom’s Guide to Staying Fabulous” Paperback
Not all Volvo enthusiasts are fire-breathing macho R owners living day to day just to make the next track event. Some are new Mom’s living pamper to pamper just to make the next track event and lap the course with a baby seat strapped in the rear. For those moms amongst us, we located a well-rated paperback that shares little with the Volvo brand other than its title. The author gets points for having great taste in cars… or at least car sterotypes. More importantly, the book comes well rated at 4 out of 5 stars by Amazon.com readers. Amazon offers reader reviews, many of which suggest this book is for expecting moms or moms newly with child. www.Amazon.com
For the auto enthusiast who has everything, we’re guessing this vacuum may be an unknown. One of the most powerful vacuums on the market, this vacuum is ideal for automotive and garage uses. Blow dry your car, inflate a raft, blow leaves or vacuum your car’s interior with specially-designed car attachments. The standard Vac-N-Blo offers portability, allowing you to take it remotely for on-location detailing at a car show or keep it in the garage for home use. The Jumbo Vac-N-Blo isn’t portable, but mounts on the wall and features five times the bag capacity of the standard unit. www.MetroVacWorld.com 4. Volvo Posters and Prints Prints and posters for hanging on the wall are always a staple gift, especially when the subject matter is Volvos. The search for that perfect gift for the car enthusiast who has everything this year had us browsing sources outside the USA. One online store stumbled across was Parc.de from Germany. Simply put, if you’re a fan of virtually any European marque, this website likely has more print and poster selection to suit your interests than you’ve ever seen. One could spend hours just perusing their stock. No matter what era, from vintage to modern, this store seems to have it all. The website is available in English. Pricing is in Euros. www.Parc.de
5. Matchbox Cars
Looking over the latest offerings from Matchbox, we found a Volvo XC90 in the mix. Matchbox cars are widely available at most local toy stores and general wares stores such as Target, Sears or Walmart. Cars are also available on Ebay.com and various other online outlets. www.Matchbox.com
Over recent years, aggressive drivers have gotten a bad name. Sure, there are those complete psychopaths on the road, and we’ve encountered some of them. But, 9 times out of 10, we’re guessing most drivers are passive aggressive, getting irritated if not postal when American drivers without any sense of Autobahniquette insist on riding in the left lane. For these people, we may have found the answer with the book of Road Rage cards. Warning, some of these messages are a bit vulgar, but this flip book will help you rapidly get your point across to other drivers… if you can get them to look over. www.RoadRage.com 7. Simpson Pit Shoe
In the past, we’ve featured driving shoes. However, this year we’re recommending those with an automotive footwear fetish consider the Pit Shoe by racing gear staple Simpson. Oil resistant and with a toe cap for added protection, this shoe is great for use while turning wrenches in the garage or for regular use. Stylistically, the tire tread sole is a great touch. As with the Model T, you can have the Simpson Pit Shoe in any color so long as it’s black. A one shade model this may be, but black is perfect for hiding grease and dirt stains that might be encountered while wrenching on your ride. And, at $44.95 the Pit Shoe won’t break the bank. www.SimpsonRaceProducts.com
Murphy’s Law states that the one time you need that glovebox flashlight, the batteries will be dead. Perhaps the folks at ThinkGeek.com think Murphy and his laws should go jump in a dark lake as they now offer the Forever Flashlight. Simply shake the flashlight for about 30 seconds and, using Faraday’s Principle of Induction, the light charges the built-in capacitor by passing a magnet through a metal coil and creating enough juice to light the LED light source for about five minutes. www.ThinkGeek.com 9. H-Racer Fuel Cell Powered Model Car
If our alternative fuel future has you concerned, the H-Racer Fuel Cell Powered Car from ThinkGeek.com is a great demonstration of life after fossil fuels. The model car kit comes with a refueling station that utilizes a solar panel to extract hydrogen from everyday tap water. Load the hydrogen into the H-racer, activate the car via switch and let her rip. The car will run for over 100 meters thanks to a few solar rays and a little bit of H20. www.ThinkGeek.com
Looking to show a little oldschool Volvo color? Look no further than this great 244 Turbo T-shirt we found on CafePress.com. The design itself is black and white, showing a line-art style 244 sedan atop the Volvo logo. Pre-shrunk and 100% cotton, the shirt will only run you about $12. www.CafePress.com 11. Volvo Merchandise from Volvo AB Former parent company of Volvo cars and truck manufacturer Volvo AB may no longer manufacture the cars we love, but the company’s logo remains the same. As such, the online company store for Volvo AB is rife with Volvo-branded merchandise, including the line of Volvo Ocean Race goods. A quick scan of the online store and we located some great-looking Volvo and Volvo Ocean Race garb, as well as cool trinkets such asa Volvo watch, a cool brushed steel Volvo keychain and another bearing the tag line “Total Performance” in Volvo script. www.ShopMerchandise.com
12. Volvo S80 1:43 Scale Model from Volvo Accessories If you’ve got a member of the family anxiously awaiting their pre-ordered new S80 or simply a fan of the Volvo brand, you might consider this 1:43 scale model version of Volvo’s newest sedan. We haven’t yet found a source online, but we’re told this model is available for order at the parts counter of your friendly neighborhood Volvo dealer. www.VolvoCars.us
For further gift ideas, check out our 2005 Gift Guide ---->HERE.
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