Archive for November, 2015
Holiday Gift Ideas For The Discerning Enthusiast
Nov 24th
It’s that time of year again, folks.
The holiday season is upon us once again, and that means gifts. Fresh out of ideas? Worry not – we’ve got you covered.
Autodromo Watches
Smart watches are for chumps – but Autodromo Watches are for champs. The creative vision of Bradley Price, these watches draw aesthetic inspiration from a golden age of motoring, when driving required style, panache, and perhaps a little bit of danger.
Triumph Street Twin – 900cc
For those who can’t get enough classic styling, but perhaps prefer modern reliability. The 2016 Triumph Street Twin replaces the existing base Bonneville model, with the welcome addition of an upgraded 900cc eight-valve, high torque motor. Updated from the ground up, this Bonnie gets a new chassis, new suspension, ride-by-wire throttle with traction control, slip assisted clutch, ABS, and LED lighting. Triumph were also so kind as to release a few custom ‘inspiration kits’ you can purchase as a package!
Liveried Egg Chairs
The perfect gift for the racing enthusiast in your life, these ‘egg chairs’ combine retro modern form with iconic styles to create functional automotive art. Using mid-century modern furniture as a canvas, Anthony Jannarelly and Benoit Fraylon create intricate designs that call back to the famous liveries of the legendary race cars of yesteryear.
WohnGeist Tool Set
This gorgeous set of WohnGeist tools includes screwdriver, file, and pry bar handles, as well as the whole segmented 2m ruler and are made of Swiss pear wood that resists warping and splintering when exposed to moisture. The same wood, plus leather for the handles, serve as the materials for the tool set’s case. All of the tools are held in place inside the case with magnets, so carrying and opening it won’t cause a cacophony or result in metal spillage all over the shop.
BIR Track Day
Tired of watching races from the comfort of your couch? Want to hop in the drivers seat and take the bull by the horns? A BIR Track Day is an immersive racing experience unlike any other – and with the option to either track your personal car or take the wheel of a spec racer, there’s something for everyone!
Subscription Boxes
Whether you’re giving a gift or simply indulging for yourself, these subscription boxes are sure to please. And the best part? You don’t have to leave your house to buy them. One of our favorites is DetailBox – every month you’ll receive 3 to 4 new sample products, which include polishes, waxes, tires polishes, etc. If you like the product they often have exclusive, member-only coupons for the full product! For the ladies in your life, we recommend Stitch Fix – clothing and accessories selected by a personal stylist and hand-delivered to her door.
Whiskey Stones
Why water down your whiskey with ice? These stainless steel cubes (or balls, take your pick) will actually keep your drink colder than ice, for longer than ice – and they won’t dilute that heavenly flavor. If that’s not enough to sway you, they’re also completely non-porous, ensuring you’ll be able to use them over and over with no risk of cross-contamination.
Smartphone Garage Opener
This neat piece of tech from Chamberlain installs to your existing setup in minutes, and allows you to open and close your garage door from anywhere with your smartphone and a Wi-Fi connection! Never worry about having left your garage door open again – you can’t buy peace of mind like that.
Auto Floor Guard
Protect that sweet, sweet garage floor from salt, snow, and other other miscellaneous nastiness with Auto Floor Guard – mildew and rot resistant fabric that has been tested to -40 degrees. Available in multiple sizes, the fabric has a unique ultraviolet treatment that resists fading and material breakdown. The perfect gift for those who love to keep everything in their life immaculately clean and well-ordered.
Leather Works Minnesota
Purveyor of fine, handcrafted, leather goods Leather Works Minnesota is more than just a local company – they’re the vendor of choice for Morrie’s Heritage Car Connection’s leather needs. Wallets, belts, travel accessories and much, much more are lovingly crafted by this Saint Paul-based establishment. It’s worth noting that due to their huge popularity and the fact that everything is made by hand, they recommend you allow 2 weeks for shipping during the holiday season.
911 Speedometer Cufflinks
What more can be said about these cufflinks that the title doesn’t say already? They look like the speedo from a freakin’ Porsche 911! For the air-cooled enthusiast in your life.
Morrie’s Teen Driving School
This comprehensive course gives young drivers the hands-on experience they need to avoid accidents. Through a combination of classroom activities and engaging, hands-on exercises, this program teaches young drivers skills they simply cannot obtain in traditional driver’s ed programs. Each student is paired with a dedicated instructor who coaches them in his or her own car throughout the entire day. At the end of the program each student will have a vastly improved grasp of their car, vehicle dynamics, car control and lifesaving, proactive driving techniques.
Lego Creator Car Kits
Who says Legos are just for kids? If these Volkswagen T1 Camper Van, Porsche 911, and McLaren P1 sets don’t get your engine revving, there’s probably something wrong with you…
The Great Sleeping Bear
Who among us hasn’t wished we could hibernate through the winter winter months, waking up as the last of the salt is cleared off the roads? With this hand-made bear sleeping bag by Dutch Artist Eiko Ishizawa, the idea seems a little less far-fetched! These individually numbered sleeping bags cost a mere $2,350 – a small price to pay for supreme comfort when the weather gets to be simply unBEARable (Yes, that pun happened. We regret nothing).
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Aston Martin Vulcan leading the way for the future of oil changes
Nov 10th
Castrol is working hard to reinvent the oil change, which frankly sounds about as easy as reinventing the wheel. After a couple of years of developing what they are calling Nexcel, they have done something special. The Nexcel unit itself holds oil and the filter all in one container and simply fits into a base within the car’s engine bay. Once the recommended oil change interval is reached the Nexcel unit can be changed out in 90 seconds by simply lifting the unit out and replacing it with another one. The unit is sent back to be reconditioned for reuse and can be reconditioned 5 or 6 times before its service life is over.
We first found about this new product from an article on Autoblog.com and it peaked our interest that the Aston Martin Vulcan was going to be the first car to implement Nexcel. While the Vulcan is a track only car, Castrol UK worked closely with Aston Martin to develop Nexcel and test it in the real world, retrofitting Aston Martin’s cars with Nexcel and have been testing in England for the last couple of years. After talking to a representative from Castrol at SEMA we found out that other manufacturers are very interested, one being Ford as they get the street version the GT ready for 2017. There are also a couple of companies with fleets of long service life heavy duty trucks looking to retrofit this technology for their use as it would pay off over the life of the truck as they are in service for hundreds of thousands of miles.
James Bond: SPECTRE Premiere Event at The Loop and ICON Theatre
Nov 6th
Last night Morrie’s Luxury Auto hosted a movie premiere party for the release of the new James Bond movie “SPECTRE” last night at ShowPlace ICON Theatre at West End with a pre-screening happy hour at The Loop. Continental Diamonds came out to support the event with a range of Omega watches including the special edition Seamaster worn by James Bond in the movie. To mark release of the movie, we features three gorgeous new Aston Martins in front of the theater, including the new 2016 DB9 GT model in special Spectre Silver.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the event last night and we hope you enjoyed the film!