Meyers "Kick-Out" Manx Traditional

Building a Meyers Manx from a kit, like assembling a Caterham Seven, is not a task for the mechanically inept. But the reward for all those bloody knuckles is ownership of a bona fide classic for a relative pittance. The Manx, after all, is only the second car (after Carroll Shelby’s 1964 Cobra Daytona coupe) to be entered into the US-based Historic Vehicle Association’s National Historic Vehicle Register. And dune buggies are just plain cool. (If you need a reminder, watch Steven McQueen and Faye Dunaway kick up sand in The Thomas Crown Affair.) The Manx kit starts at a surprisingly tame $4,700, and includes a glassfibre body, hood, cowl and dashboard, along with a steel rollbar, headlamps and all the required nuts and bolts. What that modest sum does not include, however, is a donor car – a buyer-supplied vintage Volkswagen Beetle – from which the Manx will take its chassis and engine.

Airstream Classic travel trailer

US-based recreational vehicle maker Airstream has been building its silver bullet travel trailer for more than 80 years. For 2015, the company has done something it doesn’t do often: updated its image-leading model, the Classic. Stretching 31ft 3in long, the Classic is no adorable overnighter you can pull with your Mini Countryman. It’s designed for long-haul adventures, the trailer offers space for five travellers and features a raft of homelike amenities. The galley is bedecked with stainless steel appliances and Corian solid-surface countertops, and the living room has overstuffed furniture, including a plush sofa with individually power reclining seats. Extra windows keep things bright inside, and LED exterior lighting and Polk Audio sound system add a dash of modernism to a design that dates to 1936. Airstream’s 2015 Classic starts at $121,720; big red bow not included.

Slot Mods USA Ultimate Slot Car Raceway

For the slot-car aficionado whose enthusiasm borders on mania – and whose loved ones command expendable liquid assets exceeding $300,000 – there is but one gift to consider this season. The centrepiece of the 2014 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is a custom-designed slot track built by US specialist Slot Mods USA. Its purchaser can dictate all terms: trackside features, terrain, car models, paint colours, curve design. The so-billed Ultimate Slot Car Raceway can be ordered in pieces or with a Slot Mods construction crew in tow – though the latter luxury is offered at an additional, undisclosed cost.

Stockinger for Bentley watch-winding safe

Milled from a solid piece of brass and bearing the trademark "B” at its fulcrum point, the handle on the Stockinger for Bentley watch-winding safe alone weighs 3.5kg (roughly 8lbs). It is an laden touchpoint, carrying the heft of Bentley Motors’ heritage and that of Stockinger, an equally illustrious name in its own, fastidiously protective realm. The safe, all 560kg of it, is designed to protect its owner’s most cherished baubles, among them up to 12 wristwatches that remain precision-wound and ready to wear. And befitting a Bentley-branded object, paints and wood veneers are specified by the purchaser, who will pay roughly $100,000 – or about 50% of a fully loaded Continental GT V8, or the equivalent of four Breitling Bentley B05 Unitime men’s wristwatches – for the finished product. Heavy metal.

Pinarello Dogma F8

"The Jaguar of bicycles” has an undeniable ring and, refreshingly, an undeniable basis in reality. Italian manufacturer Pinarello, which supplied Team Sky riders Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome in their respective Tour de France victories in 2012 and 2013, enlisted Jaguar’s aerodynamicists to optimise airflow around its Dogma F8. With efforts focused on the front fork, drag and wind resistance were reduced by a claimed 40% over the previous Dogma model, the 65.1. Using wind tunnels to shape carbon fibre also results in a gorgeous bike, one looking every penny of its $5,500-plus price. (That figure, mind, only applies to the frame and fork.)

Struthers for Morgan wristwatch

Struthers London – an upstart watchmaker founded by husband and wife Craig and Rebecca Struthers – has smartly aligned itself with the Morgan Motor Co to create this hefty, classically styled timepiece. Like the cars that inspired it, the Struthers for Morgan watch is a wholly bespoke creation; the company offers some 2,000 options for customisation, including faces, bands, crowns and even movements. Naturally, such freedom of choice comes at a price; the Struthers for Morgan watch starts at £10,000 (about $16,000). In Morgan terms, that’s one-third of a 3 Wheeler, but for fans of the marque (and fans of British craftsmanship), it will be money well spent.

(BBC)