If my own experience means anything, the average Father’s Day is a disaster. So far, my poor husband has received a finger painted tie (the only neck attire in his wardrobe), a tie dyed t-shirt (let’s just say he’s not a Phish fan) and an ashtray (as he was trying to quit smoking). Father’s Day is inevitably a bust. But it doesn’t have to be, because Mama is here to help you find the perfect gift for your motor loving daddy.
Here goes:
10. Help Him With A Backyard Project:
Many fathers have something sacred in their garage that needs a little love. There’s nothing these Dads would rather have than some help under the hood. So put down the Brookstone gift card and grab a socket wrench. You may even learn something.
9. Burn Off Some Carbon
Also called “An Italian Tune Up”– burning carbon involves revving the car at high RPMs which reportedly cleans out carbon deposits. Fact is, with modern gasoline and fuel injectors, this is pretty much unnecessary, however, it’s a great excuse for an adrenaline rush with the old man!
8. Pick Him Up A Little Toy
I’ll let your pocketbook choose the most appropriate.
7. Take In A Little History
Car museums aren’t just for kids and petrol heads. Here are some worth noting:
The above photo came from the Lane Museum in Nashville which looks fantastic! http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/
The Mullin in Oxnard is the ultimate in sophstication: http://www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com/
NYC’s MOMA has a great permanent auto collection & often highlights the best in car design: http://www.moma.org/
And of course the Granddaddy of them all, The Petersen: http://www.petersen.org/
6. Go On A Safari
Ok, it doesn’t have to involve a leopard printed limo. But driving around town, looking for some driveable wildlife to shoot (with a camera) can be a ball. My dad sure loved that.
5. Ask About His First Love
Any idea what your dad’s first car was? How about his favorite vehicle of all time? If you don’t, you should. Someday, you’ll wished you’d asked– trust me.
4. Check Out His Woody
Sorry, that probably REALLY freaked you out. Relax, I’m talking about a woody, a roadster, a wagon, a truck, whatever he’s into. Here in SoCal, we have cool impromptu car shows like Cars N Coffee in Irvine (http://irvine.carsandcoffee.info/ ) & Supercar Sunday in Woodland Hills (http://www.supercarsunday.com/). Mr. Google can probably help you find a fun one near you.
3. Test Drive The Future
Show me a Dad who doesn’t want to test drive a Tesla, an i3, the Hyundai Fuel Cell or another alternative fuel vehicle and I’ll show you a liar. So grab your Daddy and go!
2. Don’t Forget Grandpa
Maybe he doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the new dudes. And maybe he slightly handicapped by vision, hearing or stubbornness. But this fastback is a reminder that you don’t have to be young to be cool. If you don’t know why your grandpa is, pull up a chair and find out– a great gift to you both.
And the #1 gift you can give to your dad this glorious weekend is the gift of untethered mileage. It’s easy, just put on your driving shoes, grab some snacks and hop in. Let him tell the same story 20 times, listen to his lecture and hold the eye rolls– it’s just one day and your Dad deserves it!
