Top five Christmas gifts to keep you motoring along

We select ideas for any last-minute petrolhead who is gift-shopping or spending their festive cash this December

A McLaren P1 Foot-to-Floor toy with the real thing. McLaren

One of the most iconic hypercars of the past decade, the McLaren P1, celebrated its fifth birthday earlier this year. Sadly, all 375 models are long since sold out, but if you don't have several million dirhams lying around to invest in a second-hand example, there is a downsized solution. The British supercar-maker has released a new ride-on toy P1 just in time for Christmas – the Foot-to-Floor edition costs £35.99 (Dh177), although you probably won't quite be able to match the real thing's top speed of 350kph. The mini P1 is available from www.thisisitstores.co.uk.

While winter in the UAE doesn't have quite the damaging extremes of the season in many other parts of the world, your car can still get a battering from the elements, so treat it to a little weather protection. CoverME's retractable shelters can be carried in your car, then set up over your vehicle when you are parked in the open, to combat sun, wind, rain, dust and humidity. The company also claims that the covers, made from polyester and powder-coated steel, will aid fuel consumption, thanks to reduced need for air conditioning when first getting into your car, and also save money on car washing. For more information on the range of covers for cars and motorcycles, go to www.cover-me.me.

Car art can be a minefield, but sometimes it is done very right, such as by OddlyArtistic, an Atlanta-based multidisciplinarian who produces psychedelic pop-art based on iconic vehicles from the 1940s to 1960s. The pieces include depictions of Volkswagen camper vans, Cadillacs and this Ford GT40 (pictured). Original art is available, alongside a variety of prints in a choice of different sizes, from www.etsy.com/shop/oddlyartistic.

Showing off your automotive allegiances is tricky to do tastefully – wearing a luxury-marque-branded polo shirt, for example, usually marks you out as somebody who has never got close to owning one of the cars in question. Crash Jewelry, on the other hand, manages to combine stylish cuffs, bangles, earrings, necklaces and accessories with the knowledge that your adornments were once part of actual top-end motors. The name is the giveaway to the raw materials, which are obtained from accident-damaged cars (fender-benders only), including Ferraris, Maseratis, Audis and Porsches. They are then sanded, polished and riveted in a studio in a Los Angeles body shop. The jewellery, which costs from US$39 (Dh143), can be viewed in artistic fashion at www.instagram.com/crashjewelry
and bought at www.crashjewelry.com.

If you are feeling particularly flush this Christmas, take the time to check out the ultimate UAE-focused watch. Richard Mille is closely linked to motorsport, and the Swiss brand's latest timepiece continues that lineage. The RM 055 Yas Marina Circuit watch, which was launched last month, borrows the colour scheme of Abu Dhabi's Formula One track, including the instantly recognisable Yas blue that adorns the flange and crown rubber. The back also features the YMC logo. The watch, which costs Dh406,000, is available exclusively in the Richard Mille boutiques in The Dubai Mall and Abu Dhabi's The Galleria. 

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