The Car Guy's Wish List

Have too many trinkets and baubles? Want to buy your favorite car person something cool but don't want to fill his house with another useless knickknack? Here's your answer: Linear Edge's track-inspired coasters feature tasteful outlines of some of the world's greatest road-racing circuits. Choices include Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and the Nürburgring, though there are many others. The track depicted varies with the set you buy — four coasters and one track for $30; six coasters and six tracks for $40 — but any design would be a welcome addition to a speed freak's coffee table.

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Tire-pressure gauges are a universal tool. Anyone can use them, regardless of their mechanical skill level, and they work on any car. At $27, Longacre Racing's gauge may seem expensive, but it's likely to be the last pressure gauge you buy. The 2-inch, glow-in-the-dark face is great for tire-pressure checks in dimly lit areas — late-night gas stops, roadside tire changes — and the rubber-encased housing will take a lot of abuse. They're perfect for the endurance racer or long-distance driver.

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Ken Block's Ford Fiesta is one of the coolest race cars on the planet. This one-sixteenth-scale, radio-controlled replica, made by radio-control giant Traxxas and sold for $325, packs much of the real rally car's punch at a fraction of the price. A powerful brushless motor, 4-wheel drive and cool graphics are standard, as is a 30-mph-plus top speed. Buy the optional pinion gear, second battery and speed connector, sold separately, and you can increase the speed to more than 50 mph. Who doesn't love radio-controlled cars? Who doesn't love garishly decorated speedsters? What car nut wouldn't love this?

Watch Video:  Block's Wild Subaru STI Snow Ride

Meet the handy jump box. Most mechanics have one, and most car enthusiasts need one. The $96 500-amp Stanley J5C09 is effectively a rechargeable car battery and power source in the same box, and it comes with a built-in air compressor. The battery can be used for jump-starting cars or powering small accessories, and the compressor is useful for inflating everything from bicycle tires to pool rafts. At just 18 pounds, it is light enough to be slung in the trunk for long trips, a safeguard against leaky tires or lights left on overnight.

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Everyone needs floor mats. The kind of mats you need has a lot to do with who you are and where you live. If your loved ones are anywhere where it rains, snows or otherwise precipitates, they need WeatherTech's all-weather floor mats. In addition to being remarkably useful — they hold standing water, don't leak, keep your carpets clean and are easily hosed off — they are also guaranteed for 10 years. Pricing and fit varies, so check WeatherTech's website for specifics. The average set costs around $100.

View Slideshow:  Best Winter Cars for Every US Region

You can never have too many tools. Craftsman's 154-piece Mechanic's Tool Set is the kind of gift that works for everyone, from pros to amateurs. First, it's a handy combination of 12 wrenches, 93 sockets and three ratchets that can get you out of almost any repair jam. Second, it's compact and portable; its durable plastic case weighs just 19 pounds fully loaded and will fit in the smallest of car trunks. Finally, every piece in the box carries a lifetime warranty. If you don't have any tools, this is a heck of a good start for $100. It's also a great tool set to travel with or take to the track.

Read:  Maintenance Made Easy

Racing games are always fun, but they rarely offer enough realism to satisfy the hard-core gearhead. Making matters worse, the two most prominent franchises — "Forza Motorsport" (Microsoft Xbox) and "Gran Turismo" (Sony Playstation) — are available only on console systems, which come with hand-held, thumb-and-finger controllers. If you're after realism, you can install a bulky wheel-and-pedal setup in your living room, or you can buy Microsoft's Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel for $60. This hand-held wheel works only with the Xbox, but it offers vibrating force-feedback and is small enough to tote on the road.

Watch Video:  Under the Hood of 'Forza Motorsport 4'

Driving well isn't easy, and learning how isn't cheap. High-performance driving instruction is a multimillion-dollar industry, and most racing schools charge four-figure admission fees for even the shortest of classes. The Skip Barber Racing School's excellent book, "Going Faster," is the next best thing to real seat time. At more than 294 pages, it dissects and explains fast driving in a way that even the most inexperienced reader can understand. The title is somewhat misleading; the book focuses on racing, but its lessons work on any road where speed and smoothness are the goals. It sells for $35.

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Former Car and Driver editor David E. Davis Jr. passed away this year after a short bout with cancer. Davis was one of the most influential automotive journalists in history, but he also was an evocative, soulful writer. "Thus Spake" is his take on everything from guns to women to automobiles, and it encompasses several decades of truly spectacular prose. The book is divided into short, digestible pieces, most of which were originally published as magazine columns. It's out of print, but you can find used copies through Amazon and similar outlets for anywhere from $10 to $40.

Read Blog:  David E. Davis Jr.: Seminal Journalist Dead at 80

In the mid-1960s, Ford and Ferrari were at each other's throats. Henry Ford II had attempted to buy the Italian supercar manufacturer, only to be turned down at the last minute. Spurned, he decided to beat Enzo Ferrari at his own game — the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He succeeded, but the multiyear battle that ensued captivated the world. Playboy editor A.J. Baime's excellent "Go Like Hell" dives into the machinations and personalities behind one of history's legendary motorsport wars. A great read and a great gift for only $15, even if you're not a racing fan.

View Pictures:  2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

Sam Smith is a journalist, a Southerner, and a reformed Alfa Romeo mechanic who spends most of his time mooning over leaky old motorcycles and small-batch bourbon. A multiple International Automotive Media award-winner, he has covered cars for Automobile Magazine, Car and Driver, and Esquire, among other publications. He once drove 4000 miles in a weekend for a hamburger and has only been threatened by the German police twice.

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