What your pop really wants for Father’s Day
Car-related gift ideas beat wild ties any day
Like any dad, all I really want for father’s day is some peace and quiet and a convertible 1968 Corvette 427 L-88 with a Muncie four-speed manual and side-pipes. You know, the simple things in life.
But what we dads usually get is some socks, or a tie in a pattern that even Lady Gaga would avoid, or perhaps just a handmade card crafted with love and creative spelling.
We treasure these things, but you know what your father really wants? He wants your time. He wants you to set down the iPad and engage in some real, old-timey, faceto-face human interaction.
Now, I warn you, there will be some super-corny dad jokes involved. But make the effort, because he’s a finite resource and he won’t be around forever.
On Father’s Day, get your gearhead dad an experience that you can both share. Go have an adventure together.
RACE YOUR DAD
First off, let the ol’ gaffer know that it’s time to pass the driving torch. Just be careful, as he may whip your cocky butt around the track.
High Performance Driver Education days (HPDE) are widely popular anywhere there’s a decent racetrack. Lapping sessions range from novice instruction for track newbies, to advanced, for further honing skills.
Try some place like Skip Barber or the Bondurant school of racing, but this gift need not be extravagant. A day spent together learning the finer points of driving can really draw the pair of you together. It also improves reflexes and driving skills for the street.
Price: About $250, plus fuel
RACE YOUR DAD II
If full-sized racing is out of the question for budgetary or age-related reasons, you can still test your mettle against dad, have a lot of fun, and learn a thing or two.
Slot-car racing has been around for decades, but waned in popularity in the ’70s. It’s not back with a vengeance or anything, but you can still find tracks all over the place, and hobby stores that sell kits to assemble and paint.
It’s also maybe a bit more active and engaging than you and dad plonked down in front of a flat-screen game.
Price: About $50
RALLY WITH DAD
So, you’re a few years off from actually getting your driver’s licence, but you’d still like to have an automotive adventure together. Perfect; I’ve got just the thing.
You have to look a little harder, but companies such as Classic Car Adventures put on multi-day rally events with squadrons of elderly iron plying the roadways on a preset route. If dad is a classiccar enthusiast, it’s a perfect gift, and he’s going to need a navigator — that’s you.
If your dad is more into modern rallying, there are Time Speed Distance rallies — controlled events that are all about precision and good navigating. Usually held on back roads, TSD rallies are a challenging, but relatively safe form of motorsport competition — the perfect events to work together as a team.
Cost: $100-$300
WATCH CARE TOGETHER
Perhaps dad’s a big fan of the science of Formula One, the spectacle of Indy racing, or the shake-and-bake of NASCAR. Try this: go to a race with him.
Experiencing the power and the fury of mighty engines, seeing the way the cars scream and scorch the pavement, rising to your feet to see a particularly daring pass all make racing come alive, and will help you see why dad loves it.
If your schedule’s too tight to take in a race, pick up a DVD to watch together. The Senna documentary is a heartbreaking but excellent look at Formula One racing’s perhaps greatest champion. Price: $20-$200
DETAIL DAD' SCAR
Some fathers have a “nobody touches this car except me” attitude toward their rides. That might just be because they only trust themselves to take the necessary care and attention.
Getting car-care stuff as a gift for father’s day is great; even better is helping to shine up the family hauler. If Dad is semi-obsessive about paint, he’ll be able to teach you a thing or two about how to wash a car in stages, top-tobottom, to prevent scratches in the paint. So sure, get him the usual basket of polish and carnauba wax, but throw in a bit of your labour too. Cost: Free-$80
GET DAD TO TEACH YOU TO DRIVE A STICKSHIFT
You might want to rent a car for this, if you can find one. It’d be worth it.
The days of the old three-pedal waltz are truly in decline, but odds are your gearhead dad is the keeper of this arcane knowledge, and he could probably teach you a thing or two about engagement points and rev-matched downshifts.
It’s another skill in your tool bag. The payoff for dad is another convert to the connected feel you only really get from a manual shifter.
Attempt this bonding experiment only if you’re prepared to keep at it despite frustrating early efforts. But trust me, a son or daughter showing interest in dad’s passion is one of the greatest gifts there is. Cost: free