Showing posts with label enthusiast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enthusiast. Show all posts

Friday, June 14, 2019

Top 10 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for the Automotive Enthusiast

Men can be difficult to shop for. Rather than getting your Dad something this Father’s Day that will collect dust in the back of his closet, get him something he will use and enjoy for years to come. Here are some great Father’s Day gift ideas for the auto enthusiast.

?10) Vehicle Detailing

Fatherhood is a messy job. You’ll be hard pressed to find any parent whose vehicle couldn’t use a good once over to clean up crumbs and remedy sticky surfaces. A thorough detailing is a great gift idea for Dad that won’t cost too much and will make him feel like a king.

dust gun blowing in vent of car

?9) Exotic Car Experience

Few people can say that they have been fortunate enough to experience a Ferrari or Lamborghini on a racing circuit, but there are many ?local companies that can turn that dream into a reality. Just google exotic car experience to find one.

exotic car on road

?8) Subtle Suit Accessories

If your old man is the kind of guy who wears a crisp suit rather than neon NASCAR t-shirts or tacky ties, how about keeping it classy with a tie clip or cool cufflinks. Zazzle.ca offers a selection of auto-inspired options including shift gates, speedometer and tachometers that add some character without going over the top.

auto cufflinks

7) Socks

The cliché pair of boring old socks may be the traditional default Father’s Day gift that immediately go into the drawer never to be seen or worn again, but buy your Dad a set of automotive themed socks like ones with ‘Gas’ and ‘Clutch’ on them and he’ll wish he had a pair for every day of the week.

6) Money Clip

Rather than carrying around a bulky leather wallet that will stretch his pant pockets and harm his posture, how about buying your Father a carbon fibre automotive-inspired money clip to hold onto what little money he has left after having children.

5) Automotive Art

From Frank Bullitt and Dom Torreto to Michael Knight, James Bond and even Randall “Memphis” Raines, Displate.com features creatively designed and crafted metal signs that will appeal to any automotive enthusiast.?Type in “cars” or other auto-related themes on their site to get the coolest automotive designs.

Car Painting for a Father's Day Gift idea

4) Racecar Office Chair

You can rationalize that with the long hours spent at his desk, your father’s health and posture will be improved with an ergonomic and supporting chair in his office or den. But in reality, having a racecar seat office chair is just pretty much the coolest office accessory you can have.

3) Model Cars

No matter how old he gets, every man is still a little boy at heart. You may not be able to buy him the car of his dreams in full scale, but you can likely afford a miniature model version that he can enjoy until his lottery numbers come in.

Model Cars

2) Key Chain

You could go the traditional route and buy a key chain with the logo of the vehicle your Dad drives, or get creative with pistons, tow straps, spark plugs and turbos.

Car key chain for a Father's Day gift idea

1) Classic Car Movies

The best gift you can give to the man who raised you is something that allows you to spend time you can enjoy together. Films like Le Mans, Grand Prix, Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds or Vanishing Point feature cars as the stars.

dad with kids watching tv

RELATED: Top Ten Things To Consider Before Purchasing A Family Car


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Friday, January 25, 2019

2016 Nissan 370Z Coupe Enthusiast Edition Review

What’s Best: $10,000 price chop for new entry-level Coupe Enthusiast Edition.What’s Worst: Sacrifices to be made for the price cut. Design is getting dated.What’s Interesting: Sales have already bumped up due to the price cut but there are rumours of a future, lighter, smaller replacement that might simply be called the Z with, hopefully, an efficient powertrain lineup that starts with a turbo four-cylinder choice.

BODY STYLE: Two-door sport car/coupe.
DRIVE METHOD: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
ENGINE: 3.7-litre, DOHC V6 (332 hp, 270 lb/ft)
FUEL ECONOMY: 13.3/9.3L/100km (city/hwy); as tested 12L/100km (comb)
CARGO: 195 litres
PRICE: MSRP $29,998; as tested $30,133 includes Metallic Pearl Paint ($135). Freight & PDE ($1,740) not incl.
The steering wheel felt alive under my fingers.

A stomp of the throttle prodded the engine with the snarl of instant gratification.

The handling was quick and crisp, the brakes authoritatively taming the speed bursts of this beast as we carved country road corners, pirouetted through esses, and shot through traffic gaps in the cut and thrust of urban driving.

Ahh, but there’s an inherent problem with this kind of performance.

Because the quicker the car is, the shorter my patience gets.

RELATED: Nissan reveals fan-sourced Project 370Z

The power and agility, the exuberance of noisy acceleration, that sense of can-do-anything ability tends to engender a hyperactive impatience when you’re sharing the road with seemingly mere mortals who are slowly and uncertainly doddering about in minivans and cumbersome sport ute land barges, hesitating over lane changes, inexplicably braking for phantom reasons, and just generally not getting the hell out of your way.

I usually resort to deep breathing, maybe an Enya playlist, or the calming Spa channel. And I remind myself that I am usually a part of that same slow-moving herd.

But I’m also reminded of just how much fun a Nissan Z can be.

And it takes some reminding because, 45 years since the first Z appeared, and with only minor changes over the last two generations, it’s easy to take the Z for granted and not give it the attention it deserves.

But for the 2016 model year, Nissan has added a new Coupe Enthusiast Edition base model ($29,998) that drops the entry-level price by a whopping $10,000.

Now, that’s sure to make potential customers pay attention.

That kind of move goes against the grain for most car companies, where the steady evolution of bigger, more expensive models is a more usual trend.

Even Nissan’s sport car lineup of Zs have tended to get porkier and more fully loaded with each generation.

This new base model still harnesses Nissan’s award-winning 332 hp 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission. This powertrain combo is rated at 13.3/9.3L/100km (city/hwy) but if fuel economy is a big concern, you’re shopping in the wrong aisle, bub. My real world averages worked out to 12L/100km (comb) even with occasional outbursts of adrenalized lunacy.

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Our tester, dipped nicely in Gun Metallic paint, stands on handsome complementary black-finished 18-inch alloy wheels and comes standard with a sport tuned suspension, bi-functional Xenon headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, black woven carbon seat cloth interior, Nissan Intelligent Key with Push Button Start, power windows, power locks, two 12V outlets, USB connection, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, automatic climate control and illuminated steering wheel controls.

OK, so what’s the catch? What are we giving up for the $10,000 price chop?

Well, while I wouldn’t exactly label the Coupe Enthusiast Edition a “stripper”, there are sacrifices to be made, namely:

No available automatic transmissionNo viscous limited-slip rear differentialManually-adjusted cloth seats instead of leatherNo heated/ventilated seat featureNo 7.0-inch VGA touch-sensitive LCD display screen (a cubby storage area in the same space instead)No VoiceLink recognitionNo RearView monitor or NavigationNo Homelink transceiverA 4-speaker audio system without satellite radio instead of the BOSE 6-speaker upgradeNo Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or Active Sound Enhancement (ASE)No auxiliary audio/video input jacksNo auto dimming rearview mirror or heated outside mirrorsNo aluminum pedals or cargo coverSimpler “Z” side badging without LED illumination

But while I might also miss the 19-inch wheels and SychroRev Match throttle-blipping available in higher trim levels, there’s nothing on that list of deletions above that I can’t live without for a $10,000 price cut.

Customers who need the extra do-dads can still opt for the Touring Coupe ($39,998), Touring Sport Coupe ($43,998), the NISMO (Nissan Motorsports) Coupe ($47,998) or the convertible lineup with the Touring Black Top ($49,498) Touring Sport Black Top ($53,498) or Touring Sport Bourdeaux Top model($54,998).

Nissan 370Z Coupe 2016 hatch

The one thing this pared-down Coupe Enthusiast Edition definitely does benefit from is a leaner and meaner mass reduction, courtesy of being stripped to its bare essentials. It weighs in at 1,497 kg, about 100 kg less than a fully loaded model, even 50 kg lighter than the lean NISMO (1,547 kg), giving it a very comparable power-to-weight ratio to the performance model.

And that new “less is more” philosophy may well be the new trend for a future revision that will allow Nissan to go head-to-head with class competitors like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Mustang V6 and Mazda MX-5.

There are rumours of an all-new, downsized, lighter and more affordable Z model that will be designed to tap into the essential spirit of the original 240Z with styling and value aimed at a whole new generation of buyers.

Stay tuned.

Nissan 370Z Coupe 2016

RELATED: Nissan debuts country’s lowest-priced car

Rob Beintema

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