Great gift ideas for car lovers

Other than a mint-condition 1963 E-Type (and it just may be that you don't have £300,000 down the back of the sofa), what do you get as a gift for the car lover in your life? Turns out that there are myriad options out there, be they driving experiences, fun toys, reading matter – or a whimsical artwork documenting their lifelong auto obsession.

Here are just a few fun ideas we came across…

A track day

What better present for a petrol head than a blast around one of the UK's many brilliant racing tracks? You’ll find a wealth of companies offering experiences at all the big tracks including Brands Hatch, Castle Combe, Goodwood and Silverstone – and, further afield, Le Mans, the Nurburgring and Portugal's Estoril.

At Brands Hatch, for example, the F4 Master experience will see you testing your skills in a single seater from £255 or you can drive your own car from just £35. Just remember to check what classic car insurance cover you might need for this beforehand.

A classic car experience

If you love classic cars but have yet to purchase your own, TrackDays can kit you out with a classic automobile for the day and send you off into the beautiful English countryside to enjoy it as it's intended. They've got a variety of packages involving different locations and combinations of classic cars – choose one or more from a mouthwatering list of automotive icons including the Jaguar E-Type, Aston Martin DB9, Ford Mustang, Mini, MGB GT, Jag XJ-S and many more.

You can also choose from a range of venues and circuits – a blast around Oxfordshire's Heyford Park circuit, a cruise around some of Worcestershire's prettiest country lanes, a pootle around some beautiful and untouched parts of coastal Essex. We'll take an E-Type around the Cotswolds, please.

A motoring magazine subscription

Chances are that the classic car lover in your life lives and breathes classics – when they're not at the wheel of their own, they want to be talking about them, reading about them, or watching them in all their glory. In which case, a subscription to one of the UK's various monthly classic car magazines would seem to be a no-brainer.

Choose between the sports-car-oriented Classic & Sports Car, the mainstream Classic Cars and the slightly more down-to-earth Practical Classics. For those whose tastes go back a bit further, The Automobile bills itself as the world's only magazine for pre-1960s cars: when we checked in, the next month's cover star was a Bentley 41/2 litre from 1927-31. Alternatively, you'll find a fair few marque-specific magazines out there, such as Classic Ford and Performance Vauxhall.

Membership of an owners' club

We've waxed lyrical about the virtues of joining a classic car owners' club many times – see our rundowns of some of the best owners' clubs out there, parts one and two to date – and more coming soon. Yes, whether you're the proud owner of an Austin 1800 'Land Crab' or a Porsche 928, or pretty much anything of a certain vintage in between, there'll be an owners' club out there for you (or your lucky gift recipient).

Sign them up and they'll find themselves part of a friendly community of like-minded souls, and a brilliant resource for everything from technical advice on their classic, via meets and drives, to possible savings on parts and classic car cover.

A classic car restoration course

When it comes to classic car ownership, a little specialist knowledge can be very useful. It can be the difference, for example, between sending your period vehicle off for some expensive repairs – or happily pootling around in your workshop, giving yourself the satisfaction of solving your own automotive hiccups and saving some money into the bargain.

It won't be just the repair bills you'll save on – you may be able to keep your classic car insurance premiums down, too, if you can prove that you're looking after your vehicle the best you can.

Yes, with classic cars, knowledge is power – and the chances are that the classics enthusiast in your life would love to brush up on their maintenance and restoration skills, wherever they are on the learning curve.

A personalised artwork of their beloved vehicle

Various artists will be only too glad to create a personalised artwork of your beloved motor. Try Hurtle Print Works, who create digital artworks specifically for classic car owners.

We love their clean, simple style: there's something about seeing these classic cars in all their pure, simple beauty, with no distracting backgrounds, that brings out each model's essential DNA. You can either pick one of their existing prints off the shelf, or commission a bespoke one of your own four-wheeled friend.

A trip to a classic car museum

The chance to spend a few hours surrounded by classic models from yesteryear (and, who knows, maybe taking one or two out for a spin) will probably be as close to heaven as it gets for your classic car lover, right? In which case, you are spoilt for choice among Britain's various classic car museums.

Some of the better-known museums include the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire (former home of the Rover Group's design, technology and testing ground), which boasts the largest collection of historic British cars (over 300 of them). Or, of course, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire, with its collection of 250 motors from the late 19th Century onwards.

A fine-looking new arrival on the motor museum landscape is The Great British Car Journey near Belper, Derbyshire, with its collection of cars from Britain's own motor manufacturing heyday. Yes, you’ll find Metros, Cortinas, Marinas and more here: and this one has the added attraction of allowing visitors to take a selection of UK classics around the neighbouring track.

A complete rust treatment

Not for your significant other themselves, you understand, but for their classic motor.

Some marques and models are famously far more susceptible to it than others, but it's a tricky fact of life as a classic car owner that you may well have to contend with rust at some point.

The good news is that the classic car restorers Corotec have got a good handle on both preventing and fixing rust in period cars and will take in any classic at their Essex workshops for a thorough inspection, preparation and rust treatment using some of the latest rust-preventing agents.

Each classic car will have its own rust challenges, and Corotec will keep you updated while they inspect the car, before coming back to you with a budget and timescale. Alongside a maintenance course like those we detailed above, and of course some good classic car insurance, this is probably one of the best things you can do for your beloved classic's long-term health.

A LEGO Porsche 911

This just might hit not one, but two sweet spots for your classic car-loving friend or relative. Chances are that they grew up in an era – the 70s, say, or 80s – in which Lego was big business for Britain's kids – and they may still have a nostalgic hankering for those colourful plastic bricks and all that could be achieved with them.

In which case, this build-it-yourself vintage Porsche 911 replica could be just the thing. Look inside: gearbox, speedo, tan leather seats, the works. A miniature motoring icon.
Also available: Ford Mustang, James Bond Aston Martin DB5, and first-generation Fiat 500. Sorry, folks: no Austin Allegro as yet…

A film of them driving their classic

The chance to have their classic (and, if they so desire, them driving said classic) immortalised on high-quality film. Sounds good, no?

Berlinetta Films comprise expert film makers Josh Goode (who has led a Japanese crew of 50 in filming the Lexus LFA supercar, and has worked with eight Formula 1 World Champions) and Tony May, who claims to have filmed in 111 countries and who counts Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin among his customers.

Josh, Tony and their team will make a bespoke film of you and your car (or collection), and promise to keep cost and complexity down, while not skimping on quality. Have a browse of their site to get a feel for the quality of their work.

A lamp for the workshop

When your loved one is working on their classic – using all those skills they learned on one of those classic car maintenance courses we mentioned above – they'll need a compact, flexible, and potent light source to see clearly into all those nooks and crannies needing attention.

Which is where the Sealey LED3605RA 360° rechargeable inspection lamp comes in. The lamp's unique swivel/tilt system allows it to be pointed in any direction; the rubberised magnetic base means it can be fixed to any flat surface, leaving you with both hands free to attend to your motor. Its eight LEDs produce 300 lumens of output, across a 120-degree spectrum. Result: total clarity on all those tricky restoration projects.

A new steering wheel

The steering wheel is your major point of contact with your car, so it makes sense to have something tactile and enjoyable to use. Happily, one of the best makers of steering wheels is British firm Moto-Lita, who produce some absolute beauties from their factory in Andover.

Mahogany, leather, suede, walnut, Alcantara; three- or four-rim; have a browse of their website and see what you fancy getting your hands on. Once you've entered your classic's make, model and year, all the compatible wheels will come up. Happy steering!

A visual document of their car-owning history

In a tribute to those classified car adverts of yesteryear, Your Life in Cars has come up with the excellent idea of creating bespoke posters documenting, well, your life in cars. So, for example, you can see your own driving history, right from that first little Hillman Imp you passed your test in back in 1967, all the way to the present day.

The whole layout can be customised any way you like – so you can add in make, model, colour, mileage, service history, a message and a price; and the poster can feature anything from one to 20 vehicles. A perfect encapsulation of a lifetime's motoring. Anyone who loves their cars – past and present – will want one of these.

A Forest Experience

So, we've had courses, we've had track days, what about a day rallying in the forest? There would appear to be few better places to go off-road than the forests of central Wales, and local rally school Forest Experience knows just how to drive them – and will teach you to do the same.

How does it work? Well, after a short safety briefing you're in the car (and their cars include some rally veterans, such as the RS2000 Mk2 Escort and the Subaru Impreza), buzzing around the beautiful yet challenging Welsh forests.

An experienced rally driver will teach you handbrake turns, power slides and various other tricks of the rallying trade. Book in for the Bronze, Silver or Gold experience, meanwhile, and you'll finish your rallying with a head-to-head against the day's other participants. White-knuckle thrills galore.

A tool chest

Looking after a classic demands a wide variety of tools, many of them both crucial and really quite small and losable. Which is why a tool chest or cabinet is a great idea for the serious classics enthusiast. We like the look of this 13-drawer set by Clarke, which for just under £200 will keep that array of tools safely tidied away and organised. The fact that it's on wheels, and can be easily moved around the workshop while you get to grips with your various restoration mini-projects, simply seals the deal.

The best gift of all?

We hope this has given you lots of gift ideas for yourself or your car-mad loved one. There are so many ways to enjoy ownership of a classic vehicle, and here at Lancaster we aim to help make that ownership experience as smooth and stress-free as possible, with our classic car insurance.

Contact us for an insurance quote for your classic car today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.