Gifts for the Classic Car Lover, Inspired by A. Lange & Söhne and Concours d’Elegance Shows

Your watch collecting might get out of hand, but you aren’t likely to get overwhelmed by the collecting logistics of timepieces. The same cannot be said for classic car collecting. That is why we recommend working with an organization like Hagerty when your automotive passion gets into high gear.

While the company focuses on providing the best, very specific and tailored, insurance products for classic cars, simply signing up the gear-head in your life for the $5.84 a month Hagerty Drivers Club membership opens up a wealth of connections, content, and resources that can help provide expert insight for registering, storing, maintaining, and expanding a beloved fleet well beyond insurance necessities.
 

So, if classic cars are a big part of your loved one’s lifestyle, a Hagerty Drivers Club membership serves as a useful digital co-pilot.

With valuations and auction prices of classic cars on the rise, you may decide to eventually part ways with a collectible vehicle you love for practical, financial purposes. However, with a special one-off commission of an exquisite, bespoke scale model of your cherished ride, you can always have an impressive memento of your time as its safe keeper.

With workshops in the UK, China, and Hungary, Amalgam Collection’s exhaustive scale reproductions involve working with the de facto factory specs of a vehicle (and taking digital measurements to scale from if those details are not available), and using authentic automotive materials, paint, and finishings to create their exquisite models in scales from 1:18 to 1:4.
 

While luxury manufacturers, including Ferrari and Porsche, work with the company, they also do a brisk business in bespoke scale models for collectors. If the vehicle you want to capture for your loved one’s bookshelf is a model they have already reproduced, you might qualify for its 1:8 Tailor Made program. However, Amalgam also offers a one-off, bespoke Unique Commissions service to produce a mini version of your specific vehicle in multiple scale options.
 

Depending on the intricacy and specifications of the model, prices for an Amalgam Collection scale model range from $1,450 for some of the 1:18 models to $120,000 (which is the starting price for one of its Unique Commissions) or more.

With the age of serious car collectors skewing younger than ever, the interest in old-timey, stereotypical cap/goggles/scarf fashion choices for vintage motoring is going the way of the dodo. However, the impact of a well-made driving moccasin is simply ageless and undeniable.

Not only are driving mocs universally stylish, but behind the wheel, mocs with a thin, knubbed sole – like Gucci’s Men’s driver with Horsebit ($1,000) – deliver uncanny control over the accelerator and create a more-direct, organic connection between driver and vehicle.
 

These driving shoes from the House of Gucci check all the boxes for modern classic car lovers, combining a fashion-forward vibe with a just-right sense of heritage via the house’s iconic horsebit buckle.

One of the sacrifices of owning a vintage car is that you generally don't get a state-of-the-art modern audio experience. You can, of course, work with your local car audio specialists to install unobtrusive new speakers. Still, nothing ruins the aesthetics of a classic car dashboard like a bolt-on, contemporary radio control plate.

That’s where Nevada-based Retro Manufacturing comes into play, as its website lets you search for years, from 1940 to the early 2000s, and across brands, from major U.S. and European marques, to discover thoughtfully designed audio components that better fit the design DNA of a loved one’s (or your) vehicle.
 

Vintage-inspired radio plates (that include current technical features like Bluetooth) run around $250, but there are also bundling options that include associated amps, speakers, and other components. Turn it up!