Sharp Auto Father’s Day Gift Guide
Father’s day is June 21 this year. (Don’t forget.) We’ve put together a selection of gifts for dads with a low-key automotive obsession. If he can often be found reading about cars, watching car videos on @Sharp.Auto and/or often spends time in the garage, these things are for him.
For the dad who likes to entertain: Rolls-Royce Champagne chest
This portable champagne chest would be a welcome addition to any excursion. It can be personalized to match your own Rolls-Royce, although we should point out it will also fit in the trunk of any other suitably large car, or on the deck of a yacht. The mechanized chest opens at the push of a button to reveal four hand-blown Champagne flutes, mother of pearl caviar spoons, removable wooden tray and more. The polished aluminum mechanism and leather trim are flawless, as you’d expect. A connection for a 12V outlet keeps everything properly chilled. Also available: a matching picnic hamper and luggage set.
Price Upon Request
For the dad who plays with toys: Lego Technic Lamborghini Sian FKP 37
With more than 3,500 pieces, this new 1:8 scale Lamborghini Sian from Lego Technic should keep any dad happily occupied for a while. Like the real thing, the Lego version has a V12 engine, moveable rear spoiler, front and rear suspension, a luggage set, working steering, and — incredibly — an eight-speed sequential transmission operated by paddles behind the steering wheel. Once completed, it’s 60 cm long and 25 cm wide. It’s the next best thing to actually owning Lamborghini’s first ever hybrid supercar, only 63 of which are being built. The Lego version should be much more readily available.
$490
For the dad who likes to spend time in the garage: Gray Tools, made-in-Canada socket set
A good tool set will last a lifetime and be passed down to future generations. Gray Tools began in Toronto’s west end in 1912. Today, Gray is the last company manufacturing a broad range of hand tools right here in Canada. (One of their wrenches was salvaged from a sunken WWII battleship and it looked nearly new after more than 20 years on the ocean floor.) The factory moved to Brampton, but they’re still at it, making wrenches, pry bars, sockets and ratchets for professional automotive- and aviation-industry mechanics. You won’t find this stuff at Canadian Tire; it’s a cut above. The hardware in this 33-piece, 3/8-inch drive ratchet and socket set includes enough to get any dad starting working on his own car or motorbike. It’s all finished in a deep mirror chrome that will look good for decades to come.
For the dad planning a summer road trip: L.G.R. x Automobili Amos sunglasses
L.G.R. glasses are a boutique brand, entirely handmade in Italy by a very small team of expert craftspeople. Automobili Amos is the workshop behind the reimagined Lancia Delta Futurista restomod that we absolutely adore. The two Italian companies teamed up to create these shades, which are the first in a series of limited editions. Each edition will take cues from the 20 Lancia Futuristas that will be produced. This first set has red Alcantara side flaps to keep the glare away while you’re speeding toward the horizon. The motto #MakeLanciaGreatAgain is hot-engraved in gold on the left temple of the shades, and is absolutely a cause we support.
For the dad who could use more art: Prints from THEARCHITECTSGARAGE
With all the Zoom meetings going on lately, it’s become shockingly clear that many live and work in rooms with plain white walls. Fix that problem for the dad in your life with prints from this Vancouver-based artist (and architecture student) who is making car posters cool again. The Architect’s Garage can make you a custom print (or t-shirt or mug) featuring your own car, or you could select something from his extensive back catalog, like this beautiful Simca 1000 in Palm Springs.
Price Upon Request
For the dad who moonlights as a racecar driver: Vandel racing boots
The professional racecar driver is a relatively new phenomenon. In the early days of motor racing, regular people with day jobs would suit up on the weekend and line their sports cars up on the grid of a local racetrack. These so-called ‘gentleman drivers’ can still be found competing in vintage machines at historic racing events such as the Goodwood Revival. Like the saying goes, the driving suit makes the man. Proper shoes are crucial for good feel on the pedals, and Vandel makes some of the most beautiful ones we’ve ever seen. They’re handmade in Spain, and come with a carrying case because — and this is important — it’s bad form to wear shoes like this away from the car.
From €250
For the dad who really does have everything: BAC Mono
Every once in a while, all dads need to blow off some steam, get away and forget about the day-to-day. In our experience, there’s no better or faster way for clearing your head and focusing your mind than a few laps of a racetrack in the open-cockpit single-seater BAC Mono. Built and designed in Liverpool, England, the Mono makes all supercars look a bit ordinary, a bit similar. The latest version of the Mono is an exquisitely detailed work of industrial design that deserves a place in MoMA’s permanent collection. It’s also a bloody rocketship. Weighing just 570 kg (barely more than a full-dress Harley-Davidson) its 332 horsepower engine offers more than enough grunt to keep you on your toes. Once you get over the wind rushing at your helmet and the forces at play, all you’ll be thinking is: throttle, brake, downshift, steer, apex, throttle…. The BAC is available in Canada, through Pfaff.
Price Upon Request
