Top Gifts for Your Favorite Driver

There are some great gift ideas for people on your list who drive -- and that is all of us. So, instead of another pair of gloves or a scarf, look for things that can help make drives safer, more comfortable, and more fun.

I'm one of those short people whose neck gets chafed by seatbelts, so I would appreciate a cuddly soft wrapper to protect both my neck and the jewelry that sometimes decorates it. Brookstone to the rescue -- with a wrapper made from real Australian sheepskin. And you can't beat the price -- $12.95. The seatbelt cover is available in natural or charcoal color to match your vehicle's interior. There's also full sheepskin seatcovers for $79.95, and despite what you might think, they actually keep you cooler in summer.

Of course you would expect venerable gadget guru HammacherSchlemmer to have a something helpful for driving. The No Blind Spot Rear View Mirror is the same one used by many police officers and professional racecar drivers to eliminate blind spots. The mirror has a 180° field of view -- which is more than three times what standard mirrors offer, and does it all with a seamless and distortion-free image. But back-up cameras only show you the ground, not the traffic behind you on the highway -- this one does -- a panoramic view across an entire five-lane highway. That lets you see all the adjacent vehicles from the moment they begin to pass until they are visible in your peripheral vision. Consider it a $59.95 insurance policy.

Herrington offers a $29.95 multi-port device that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket, to power all your gadgets. Use it to run a laptop or portable DVD, or to recharge batteries while you drive. That's the 110-volt part of it. The USB port powers your iPod, Blackberry, PDA, or camera. There's an overload protector to prevent damage due to operating too much gear, and it's small enough to fit in the glovebox or storage bin in the center console.

Sometimes, we drive too far even in the garage. One trick is to rig a tennis ball on a string from the ceiling, so that you know to stop when the windshield bumps the ball. Or, just get a 'park stop' strip from Griot's Garage, a mini version of those concrete space markets in outdoor parking lots. Cost is $12.99, which is less expensive than the doctor bill for falling off the ladder when you try to tie a tennis ball on a string to your garage ceiling.

Happy holiday, and have many great drives.

Beautiful Cars Make Great Art

It's not too early to start thinking about a gift for the favorite car enthusiast in your life -- even if that's yourself. Great cars are beautiful -- especially classic drives from the past. All bold, sculptured flashing chrome and graceful curves of metal -- subjects for fine art photography.

The online art marketplace DiscoveredArtists.com is offering a selection of automotive and motorcycle prints and originals, starting at under $100. Like the image shown here, called, simply, Blue Car. Well, to me it looks turquoise, which was a color popular in the 50s for Chevys and Fords, like the classic '55 Chevy Bel Aire this just might be a close-up of.

Automotive art typically falls into a few categories --

• So-called beauty shots that usually are very close-up, focusing on a single feature such as a beautiful hood ornament or such into a striking tight,
• Detailed fine art photographs that show every nuance of the car's design,
• Nostalgia artworks that set a mood or capture a feeling, such as the freedom of the open road before nagivation systems that speak,

Some of these art pieces are photos, either straightforward and some digitally enhanced. Others are paintings. All are interesting.

Take a look.

New BMW 7 Series Costs $160,000

The Stock Market is tanking, not just in the US, but markets around the world, too. Our IRA, 40lK and Keogh investments have lost significant value in the last few weeks. We are worried about losing our homes, keeping our jobs, and getting the kids -- even the grandkids -- through school. And smack in the middle of these dismal headlines, BMW wants to sell us a $160,000 7 Series sedan. That's not a great drive -- that's a great insult.

In all fairness, this is a special edition Beemer, being sold through the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. In past years, this annual catalogue of conspicuous consumption and over-the-top excess has offered things like matching his and her helicopters. And, in all fairness, this limited edition six-figure BMW was planned before the world economy slammed on its brakes.

This 7 Series is based on a 750Li, customized by BMW Individual. Only 31 of these limited edition cars are being produced -- that's to honor the 31st anniversary of BMW's flagship 7 Series. Yay! Happy $160,000 birthday, 7 Series.

Okay, so part of the riduculous price includes a European vacation that begins in Munich, where owners pick up their new Beemer at BMW Welt, the company's factory and auto museum complex, including a behind-the-scenes VIP tour . The lucky 31 then get to drive on what BMW describes as a "multi-city lavish vacation in the South of France," including Monaco, Nice and Cannes. And when this lavish vacation is done, BMW will ship your 7 Series to the United States. Hopefully, they'll put a pretty ribbon on it.

$160,000 for a car and a vacation. Something those Wall St. guys with the golden parachutes can afford. Not the rest of us.