Toys

Unless you’re participating in a medical study involving sensory deprivation (And who doesn't love those?), we're quite certain you’re aware that the Holiday Season (known in simpler, allegedly more insensitive times as Christmastime) is upon us. And whether you’re proclivities during this time of year lean towards hanging tinsel and trinkets on an indoor conifer, symbolically lighting one candle in a stylish candle holder every night, or standing on your roof in the nude while banging a tambourine against your belly and whispering your prayers to the Cantaloupe King and his Magic Curling Iron (We don’t judge.), chances are there will be at least some gift-giving going on, if there hasn’t been any already.

With that in mind, we’ve concocted the following list of 25 great gearhead gift ideas. They fall into many categories, and into a wide range of price brackets, but they all have one unifying trait: An ability to bring a smile to the face of all but the most jaded car geeks. We’re pretty sure you’ll find at least one item that’s a perfect fit for the recipient you have in mind.

When compiling a list of toys that changed the world, omitting LEGO’s first interlocking plastic bricks from said list is a surefire way to get said list thrown in the same pile as theories that the moon landings were staged in a hangar at Area 51 by the same sasquatch that shot JFK. Put simply, your credibility would be nil at best. The fact of the matter is, those studded blocks changed the way kids of all ages let their imaginations manifest themselves in the physical world.

However, for much of LEGO’s history, you often had to keep using your imagination even after you’d built your creation. Although we were born well after the days when almost every LEGO piece (or element, as the company and its hardcore fans like to call them) were rectangular prisims of varying lengths, widths and heights, there were still numerous occasions where we found ourselves wanting a piece in a shape and/or color that wasn’t being made. Since that time, though, LEGO has added elements of new shapes and colors, largely due to adding some sets based on big-name licensed properties like Star Wars, Spongebob Squarepants and Ferrari. Now you can add Ferrari’s arch rival Lamborghini to that list.

Some people are just not content with custom paint jobs and extreme accessorization. They need some more edge. Something with a little more bite. How about covering your Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 in 7,668 Swarovski crystals? But wait, wouldn't you need hundreds of thousand of crystals to cover this supercar? Yes, of course. What we are really talking about here is actually a special creation from toy company Maisto that's designed to sit on your desk and not in your driveway.

For only the small sum of £1,500 ($2,500), 550 of these miniature Lamborghini replicas will be offered in Europe. The marketing spin is that this will make an excellent Christmas gift. My guess is that it will be purchased by the wives of men who already have a Murcielago LP 640 at their house, because who else would want or be able to afford such an expensive toy?