2007 Audi Enthusiast's Gift Guide

Cruise through any local mall or shopping center and it�s quickly apparent that the holidays are upon us. Though typically a time of joy whatever your religion, the holiday season can be a treacherous season, braving the crowds and traffic - fighting tooth and nail for a parking space like every other gift-giver out there. Should your household include an Audi enthusiast, your throwing the family car to the mercy of clumsily opened doors in overcrowded parking lots may all be in vain as you probably won�t find what he or she is looking for anyway. Fear not, we have the solution in the form of this listing of one dozen items any enthusiast and regular to these pages should thoroughly enjoy.

1. 4Tek KreepStool
www.4tek.us
$219.00

If the garage is your kingdom, this might be your new throne. Sonoma, CA-based 4Tek has made a name for itself with a creeper, but in an age of lowered cars and home lifts, we find its latest product, the KreepStool, even more useful.

Dump that old office chair you�ve been using to make the commute from project car to toolbox and back with this handsome creep stool made of tubular aluminum. A quick release removable backrest, parking brake, rollerblade wheels and a selection of tool trays and holders make it ideal for use in the garage.
2. Shock Doctor Power Dry GT Formula Helmet Bag
www.ShockDoctor.com
$99.00

Nobody likes helmet funk. It might be sweat, snot, saliva, vomit, blood or a mixture of each, but hard track driving means bodily fluids will most definitely find their way into a racer�s helmet.

If you�re a regular at the track enough that you have your own helmet, taking measures to keep it dry and funkless is a wise idea. Athletic gear company Shock Doctor has added a whole motorsport range to its line, with helmet cases like the Power Dry Helmet Bag that can be hooked to their Power Dry Blower to dry out your racing helmet. Other accessories include a matching track backpack for your laptop and gear to which the helmet bag attaches.

3. Oakley Gascan Sunglasses
www.Oakley.com
$90.00

If you follow Audi Sport North America�s team in the American Le Mans Series, you may have noticed the Oakley logo on the R10�s rearview mirrors. Oakley�s a favorite of the Audi Sport driver squad, and we�ve noticed their popular Gascan model worn by a few of the Audi Le Mans champs.

The Gascan is available in a number of configurations and sizes via the brand�s own online store, with choices for frame color, lens color and even the color of the trademark Oakley �O� on the sides.

4. SEGA Rally Revo for Xbox 360
www.Amazon.com
$59.99

We�ve been fans of the rallying video game genre for years, and they�re only getting better. SETA�s Rally Revo for Xbox 360 is one of the latest offerings, with cool features like deformable road surfaces affect your lap times and driving style, adding some interesting realism.

SEGA Rally Revo is also most interesting as it includes some classic rally cars alongside modern WRC stars. No surprise, we�re likely to play it every time driving the Audi Sport urQuattro from the �80s every time.

5. Addidas Men�s Goodyear Race Suede Sneaker
www.Shoes.com
$74.99
A good driving shoe is always a safe bet as a gift for your favorite car enthusiast. This year, we�ve found a new offering co-branded by Adidas and Goodyear Tires. The Race Suede Sneaker is said to be inspired by Formula 1 Driving Shoes and includes a wrap-around of Goodyear-branded rubber with driving-style outsole good for heel-and-toe maneuvers. The handsome silver suede appearance of the shoe drew us in as well � appearing to match the silver Alcantara you might find in an S4 or the new S5.


6. Ultimate Challenge Slot Car Set by Carrera
www.OnlyTrains.com
$259.99
This year�s ALMS season may not have been as altogether dominant or winning for Audi, but it�s hard to argue the draw of such nail-biting racing as was seen between the R10 and the Pennske Porsche RS Spyders. Re-living those races can be done in the privacy of your own home with this new 1/24 scale Ultimate Challenge slot car set from Carrera , complete with an Audi R10 and Porsche RS Spyder.

If you�re already into slots, but into the more common 1/32 scale, then you�re still in luck. Carrera also does an Audi/Porsche kit in that scale called the Sunset Racing set, or go sans track entirely for those who already have one at home and buy the cars as they�re separately available.

7. 1:18 Scale Model Audi R10 Test Car (2006) and 1:43 Scale Swiss Spirit Audi/Loda LMP1 Race Car (2007)
www.EWA1.com
$104.95

For the Audi scale model collector who has everything, here are two new offerings that may not yet be in the collection � both from Spark. The first, a 1:18 scale Audi R10 is in evil-looking matte black test livery from 2006 when the car was first launched. We found it readily available through New Jersey-based EWA.

The second, a 1/43 scale model of the lone Audi FSI-powered Swiss Spirit Lola that contested the European Le Mans Series, has just become available in the last few weeks. Given the car hasn�t raced in America, we�re not surprised that we couldn�t find an American source for the model. Searching Google, we did find the car for sale, but all sources were outside the U.S.A. If searching, the scale model�s product number of S0245 is useful information.

8. Aluminum Autobahn Signs
www.RoundaaboutSigns.com
$155.00

www.RoundaboutSigns.com
$145

What car guy doesn�t know of the Autobahn. Everyone�s heard of the fabled German stretches of highway with no speed limit, and the lucky have even had a chance to drive on it. Thanks to Roundabout Signs, we�ve found two aluminum road signs that should be immediately recognizable to any Autobahn connoisseur.

The first, a 24x24-inch blue and white square sign indicates the start of the Autobahn. The second, a 24-inch round black and white sign with five parallel diagonal lines indicates the start of the famed �No Speed Limit� zones.
9. Tire Rack by Tire Rack
www.TireRack.com
$129

It might seem obvious, but the latest product from our friends over at the Tire Rack is a tire rack. This adjustable unit allows for various widths of wheel/tire combos. Even better, it�s made to hang on a wall, the better to rid the garage floor of those extra sets of wheels and tires those us afflicted with a rim fetish seem to collect.

Each rack comes with a track for mounting into your wall�s studs. And, when installed correctly, the rack can hold up to 400 lbs.
10. Caracalla Bagaglio #4 Commemorative Motorsport Collection Leather Bag
www.OneAndDoneShop.co.uk
227.76 Euros
Truth be told, this handsome Italian leather bag is part of a motorsport collection and made to commemorate Phil Hill�s 1961 F1 Championship in his #4 Ferrari 156 Sharknose. Meh, that�s cool and all, but our editors see other things when we look at this bag. The red and white coloring� the bold #4 � too bad it�s not a laptop bag. Our source is in the UK, so allow added time for delivery.

11. Auto Union Streamliner Sculpture
www.MeAndMyCar.co.uk
This pewter finish resin sculpture of the legendary pre-war Auto Union streamliner silver arrow is just the thing for display in your office or den. The classic lines of the high-speed racer will look classic as d�cor to even the non Audi enthusiast. At just under a foot long, it also won�t take over your desk.

The piece is made and sold by MeAndMyDreamCar.co.uk � a very cool online store for car guys, but in the UK so allow extra time for delivery.
12. �Ronin� 2-Disc Collector�s Edition DVD
www.Amazon.com
$21.99

�We�ll need something fast� an Audi S8, with nitrous.�

It�s a line that ushers in some of the coolest movie car chases of all time, catapulting the Audi S8 to a level of awareness few would have thought considering the car wasn�t even on sale in North America at the time.

If you read this website with regularity, then we somehow doubt we need to preach the merits of the John Frankenheimer movie Ronin. What you may not know about though is the limited edition two-DVD set.

Disc 1 of the set is virtually the same as the previously released single DVD version save some new navigation menu graphics. Disc two though is all new, including, amongst other things, a 15-minute short entitled �The Driving of Ronin� about the awesome car chase scenes.