Gift guide for European car enthusiasts, from Audi to Volvo

November 30, 3:52 PMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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Have an automotive enthusiast on your Christmas (or other gift-giving event) shopping list? We have a list of the nice places where Santa shops, the official stores for logo’d items.

Car nuts are by definition, well, nuts and nuts about anything with the logo of their favorite car, whether affordable as a key ring or as expensive a leather jacket.

For the latter, consider article number 270001528 at the FerrariStore.com, the women’s calf leather jacket: “This item has been crafted to give a beautiful finish. Available only in black, it has the Ferrari Trademark on the sleeve.” Yours, or more specifically, hers for only $ 1,020.95. A men’s equivalent is also available. Ferrari items include model cars, flags, leather goods and the ever popular tie, starting at just over $70. A Scudiera Ferrari racing romper suit, sizes 0-3, gets a tyke started in the right direction for only $85.07. 

Or for gear for another Italian exotic, visit the Collezione Lamborghini. Some of our favorite items from the Lamborghini store store.lamborghini.com include a nifty USB thumb drive in the shape of a Lamborghini Murcielago, for €28. A T-shirt emblazoned with “Automobili Lamborghini since 1963” sells for €53. Ball caps are €27 and €29. Obviously, with Lamborghini if you’re going to look the part you have to pay the price. Compared to the T-shirts, the Italian Air Force style bomber jacket at €990 looks like a steal.

The Maserati Store is more affordable than the Lambo shop, of course, so are Maseratis. Consider the Maserati Ladies' winter jacket: “In waterproof nylon with cotton lining, it features Alcantara details and personalised Maserati Granturismo buttons.” Price: €397. For the Christmas season, the store has a section on products you can “purchase without choosing the size.” A small Maserati Trident pin in white gold lists for €115. Not quite so flush? Buy it a less precious metal for €12.

If you can’t afford to give an actual Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (a cool million and a half American bucks, more or less) for Christmas, consider an item from the Bugatti Collection.  For example, a Bugatti quilted jacket looks like a diamond stitched-driver’s seat from a Peterbilt, but it’s a lot cheaper at only €239. A Bugatti baseball cap with the EB logo on front and Ettore Bugatti signature on the back is only €29. Better yet, Bugatti Eau de Toilette Luxe 30ml is €35. “The notes of this unique perfume plunges as deep into a masculine dream world and evoke a subtle blend of leather, wood and metal.” In other words, if he can’t own a Bugatti, at least he can smell like one.

The Mercedes Collection has three departments, the Lifestyle Collection, the Classic Collection and Automotive Accessories. Lifestyle includes apparel, from ball caps ($18 - $25) to a woman’s leather jacket (“Leather single-breasted blazer with notched collar, four-button closure”) for $485, to a choice of thirty-five different watches, model cars, assorted gift items and more. The Classic Collection has watches—sorry, make that chronographs—with prices to over $2,000, model cars (more expensive than the Lifestyle cars), gift items and more. Automotive Accessories runs from classic car covers to, surely better than Old Spice under the Christmas tree, authentic Mercedes valve stem caps emblazoned with the three-pointed star, only $13.50 worth of damage to a kid’s allowance savings.The Daimler-Benz ultra-luxury division Maybach does not offer authorized accessories.

Delight Volkswagen volks with a VW-branded Recaro executive office chair that chair “meets every demand in a modern office.” Just $1,795. A little more affordable is a raglan sleeve T-shirt with contrasting sleeves for $19.95, a knit cap with braids with its “fun tassels and earflaps as comfortable on the streets as it is on the slopes, or a plush yellow daisy flower for the bud vase in her New Beetle, only $8.00. Get it at VW Driver Gear.

Shop the Audi Collection for official Audi sunglasses: “A dynamic sporty line is what characterizes the modern oversized frame made from painted metal. Comfortable fit and suitable for ladies or gentlemen.” Price $135. An Audi pilot flight bag just might get you through security a little faster for just $999. Act quickly for sale items: Audi A6 front floor mats (model year ’99-’04), normally $68.37, but for you, $48.00.

Ja, sure, Saab Expressions is your one-stop shopping location for all things official Saab. Some of our picks for great gifts? How about an eight piece collection of Saab logo pins for $20? We also like the Saab Classic watch at $90, a Saab canvas zip jacket for$122.45, and Emma the Elk, “a wonderful soft toy. She is 27.5" tall and will be loved by children and parents alike.” Emma sells for $28.50. Does she speak Swedish? No doubt.

“More than a brand; Volvo is a way of life. That’s why we created The Volvo Collection.” A way of life may be somewhat of an overstatement, but there are Volvo enthusiasts and, way of life or not, they do like logo gear…even at three to four months. Baby moccasins with “Volvo for life” printed on the sole are available for $25. Also available, a men’s Noel winter jacket, polar fleece lined and so on for $40…and Swedes know jackets. If your Volvo way of life includes a yoyo, the Volvo Collection has a wooden one for $5.

OK, it’s not likely there’s a Skoda lover on your gift list, but if there is, or perhaps you know a car nut with a sense of adventure—or something like that—tune into Skoda Merchandise.  Skoda, if you don’t know, is part of the Volkswagen Group. Be the only one to give a Skoda baseball cap for Christmas (€4.50), or maybe a 1:43 scale model of a Skoda Roomster (€5) or (and we think this is really neat) a Fabia WRC EVO II rally car in 2006 Monte Carlo rally livery. It’s 1:43 scale, just like the Roomster, but is listed at €18. Well, racing is expensive. The only drawback? Skoda merchandise has to be ordered through a UK Skoda dealership. There’s a list on the website.

If WV’s Skoda isn’t sufficiently unusual, consider VW’s SEAT subsidiary. Seat (pronounced SAY-aht) has a line of competition-related gear that’s sure to be a conversation starter at your giftee’s next automotive get-together. Of course, they be talking about, rather than with, but on with the choices: A Casio SEAT Sport UK Limited Edition Wave Ceptor watch with its bright yellow SEAT Sport team colors will be an eyecatcher for £149.99. Or then there’s a bright yellow Seat SEAT Sport UK Interactive Outer Jacket, a standout with a large SEAT logo on the back. Yours for £55. Moody girl is an expensive extra. Shop Seat Sport.

Opel Accessories is a separate entity from the General Motors' European subsidiary--as are some of the other stores listed here--but like the others GM Parts sends Opel accessories shoppers to the website and that's good enough for us. What's not good enough is the volume and variety of items on the site, much of which isn't illustrated and of that that is, isn't very well done. For example, only three out of eight models are shown. Of those, we saw the Opel Corsa in 1:43 scale price at €21.29. Good luck.

Note: A gift guide to the official merchandise for cars from the UK is also available. For Asian cars, click here. And for gifts for those who love cars from the good ol' USA, click here. Plus more gifts for the littlest of car lovers.