The center piece of this package is the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, which is a 10 hour event on the ALMS calendar. It’s scheduled for Sept 28 thru Oct 1 at Road Atlanta. This is the signature event for ALMS.

Here are the additional things included in the package:

• VIP tickets to the Petit Le Mans including access to the private trackside chalet for dad and up to 10 guests
• Private jet transportation from anywherein the US to the Gwinnett County Airport in Atlanta
• 5 suites at the Château Élan
• Dinner with ALMS founder Don Panoz
• A personal tasting event with a master distiller from Tequila Patrón
• Helicopter transportation from the chateau to the track
• A ride in the ALMS safety car at the start of the race
• Pit access
• A cocktail reception with the series champion
• A table for 10 at the ALMS award gala
• A lap around Road Atlanta with a factory team driver in a Porsche 911
• Dad takes the Porsche 911 Carrera home as a souvenir

Not too shabby, eh? The price for this once in a lifetime event…just $500,000. And multiple packages are available.

Kids, time break into the piggy banks for dad…

Up until B&D sent these, we’ve relied on what the family has come to call “the blue thing” which is a power supply for a cigarette lighter that offers a couple of standard AC outlets. The thing is beat to crap because it’s traveled with us for so long and has started to act up a bit, most likely due to age. It has been a life saver powering laptops, game boys, iPods, cell phone chargers and a host of other unremembered electronic items. I even used it to power my coffee grinder one time while camping.

Both of the products B&D sent are designed to provide power while on the go.

First is a 100W Electronics Charger, part of Black & Decker’s imobile line. As you can see from the picture, it’s pretty simple, which is part of it’s beauty. Plug it into your lighter socket and you’ve got an AC plug and USB outlet for charging gadgets like an iPod.

One of my favorite things about this accessory is it’s size. It’s small and the lighter adapter folds behind the housing. Would fit perfectly in a glove box or center console. The Electronics Charger also has lights that show fault settings and a warning mechanism that warns against draining the battery in your vehicle.

Second is a 500W 2-In-1 Automotive Power Supply, from the Black & Decker Power It line. This steps the power supply up a notch offering not only 100W operation through the use of your car’s cigarette lighter plug, but 500W operation when connected directly to a vehicle or boat battery. This allows for continuous operation, even when the vehicle is off and increased power for heavier duty applications.

The unit provides two AC outlets and a USB outlet. It has similar features to the 100W compact power supply such as status lights and low battery protection. The housing is made of a sturdy hard plastic and is relatively compact. Overall a nice replacement for “the blue thing.”

Both accessories are well made and worth a look. I know I personally couldn’t live without one (sad…I know), nor could my family. Heck, we have trouble just having 2 AC outlets available and I’ve thought about bringing a small power strip along on long trips.

Of the two of these Black & Decker power supplies, I personally like the 100W compact unit. It’s a perfect companion for a Porsche where space is tight in the car.

Check out more product info at Black & Decker’s site here: Black & Decker, as well as your favorite retail outlet for their products.

I have to admit I was a little surprised and skeptical when I got an email from Alan Shaw of Shaw Pens asking me to give him a call. He claimed to be responsible for designing and producing the recent PCA special edition carbon fiber pen. I took a quick look at his site, though, and he has some beautiful designs. What’s more, he was recently featured in Pen World (arguably the most important magazine in the pen/writing instrument world), which only further legitimizes this penmaker.

I’m not usually much of a fan of logo’d gear or accessories of any sort. I love Porsches, and I’m a PCA member, but I don’t need to go around announcing it to the world. This, however, is one PCA item I wouldn’t mind having on my desk. The pen is absolutely gorgeous, which is part of the reason I was so skeptical when Alan emailed me.

A little about Shaw. He learned penmaking years ago. In 2006, he ended up making it his full time business. One thing he mentioned to me on the phone, and that he seems very proud of, is everything is made in the good old USA. From the pens themselves to the nibs and boxes.

The PCA special edition pen is made of carbon fiber and features the PCA medallion recessed on the end of the cap. It’s not a limited edition, but only 55 will be made in time for Christmas delivery this year. The pen sells for $349.

The pen speaks for itself and anything I try to say to describe it won’t even begin to do it justice. Just take a look at the pictures. I will say this combines two things I absolutely love: pens and Porsches.

This would make a great Christmas gift or addition to a collection.

UPDATE: Alan emailed me a minor point of clarification. The nibs used in the pens are made in Germany, not the USA as I mentioned in the post.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big watch fan. I’m not any sort of a collector, but I appreciate a fine time piece and would love to have the means to buy one or two on my list. You can guess, then, that I’m all for any reason that comes up for Porsche Design to create a special edition watch. This is a heck of an occasion.

Porsche won their first Le Mans 40 years ago in an amazing 1-2-3 finish with Hans Hermann and Richard Attwood piloting their 917 K to a first place finish. The Porsche Design P’6612 Dashboard Le Mans 1970 Limited Edition watch pays tribute to the winning 917.

The face of the watch is styled after the dashboard instruments of the Porsche 917 K with white indices, a black background and red hands and accents. The car’s number, 23, adorns the face, just as it did the long-tail of the car. Around the bezel is a tachometer scale that can be used to calculate overall speed. The case is a brushed and polished titanium. A perforated calfskin strap with red topstitching reminiscent of the 917′s steering wheel completes the look.

Only 917 watches will be offered. Each comes with a scale model of the 917 K and a booklet signed by Herrmann and Attwood. I couldn’t find a price it will be offered at.

I love the look of this watch and would gladly wear one if I could afford it. My guess is it will be priced in the high 4 figures though.

[Via Porsche Design]

Two things that I absolutely love are pens and watches. My wife really doesn’t get it and just shakes her head when I start talking about some cool watch I saw or a pen I’d love to have in my little collection. Unfortunately, when you are mesmerized by things like pens and watches, the habit is not a cheap one. You get to view from afar much more often than enjoy ownership. Hmmm, sounds a lot like my love affair with Porsche.

One watch that I had the chance to pick up fairly cheap, but didn’t a few years ago was a TAG Heuer Monaco. It was one of the square watches with blue band and blue face just like the one Steve McQueen wore in Le Mans. I still regret not picking that one up.

The Porsche Club of America is celebrating it’s 55th year this year and has teamed up with TAG to offer a very limited edition timepiece to PCA members. This specialized Monaco, inspired by Steve McQueen’s blue Monaco, features red and black rally strips on the dial along with a circled “55″ to commemorate the year the PCA launched AND its 55th anniversary.  On the back of the watch, the PCA logo is engraved into the sapphire exhibition back.

This is a pretty cool watch and would be a heck of an addition to a watch collection, especially if that person also had an soft spot for Porsches. The cost will be $5,500 for each of the 55 examples and available exclusively to PCA members. You can read more here: PCA-TAG.com.

Looks like this is another one I’ll have to admire from afar.

…sometimes the love of driving, sports cars and related video games are all things an enthusiast is interested in. I definitely fall into that camp. The fine folks at Activision were kind enough to send a copy of a new driving game to me for review. It’s called Blur and here’s what is promised:

Blur is the ultimate powered-up racing experience, dropping players into heart-pumping, electrified action with multiple cars trading paint as they charge towards the finish line.  Drivers careen through real-world track locations packed with fast curves, sneaky alternate routes and hair-raising jumps in over 50 licensed cars as they collect intense Power-ups, including the ability to blast other cars out of the way with huge bursts of energy, boost their speed, and more. Blur delivers a new style of Powered-up racing experience for all gamers.

I’m not usually a fan of non-track related racing games, but this has to be one of the most fun games I’ve picked up and just started playing. No real learning curve for instant play other than a quick understanding of the controls. Blur is a fast-paced, racing game with some fun twists.

When “we” (which really means my 14 year old son) cracked open the game for the first time, neither of us really knew what to expect. After he played it for several minutes without me (a mistake since he instantly had an advantage), I jumped in and we raced against each other along with several computer drivers.

The action is intense and there is a definite focus on driving technique, despite non-track-like layouts and a number of other enhancements such as power-ups and things to mess with the cars you’re racing against. My first thought was this felt like Mario Kart on steroids. I’ve played that quite a bit with the kids over the years, and this seemed like an adult oriented version. As a side note, you really need to jump over to the Blur site and check out the Brock Lee promo video with the Mario Kart intro. It’s hilarious.

The cars and available car options are pretty extensive in the game. Most of the high end super cars are represented with the ability to customize the color. Just as in real life racing, different cars have strengths and weaknesses that make them best suited for various races and tracks. Unfortunately, Porsche doesn’t seem to be represented.

I have to say, my son and I were both impressed with it and found it pretty addicting. It’s easy to just sit down and play with only some general control familiarity required. It’s also cool that Blur can be played with up to 4 people locally or as many as 20 people online. It’s not often that you come across a decent driving game that allows for multi-player locally, so that’s a nice bonus.

Overall, I’d highly recommend Blur. It’s a fun game that anyone who likes driving games will enjoy. My only complaint is the lack of Porsche as an available car to drive. Maybe in a future version or as a download.

For as long as I’ve been playing video games (admittedly a long time), I’ve loved playing racing games. They’ve always been my favorite. Pole Position was probably the first “real” racing game I got addicted to. I played it until I could finish it consistently every time on a single quarter. From that point on, I’d gravitate towards the racing games any time I had the opportunity to choose. Some of my favorite times in the past 10 years was going to Chuck E. Cheese when the kids were little. Everyone else would be in school/at work, and we’d get bag fulls of tokens for free (thanks to my wife’s savvy couponing skills) and just go nuts.  I would pump token after token into different driving games.

Strangely, I don’t play too many racing video games at home on the various gaming systems we have. This is largely due to the fact that it’s just no fun to drive with a normal controller. Course that didn’t stop me from taking my turn racing the legendary Hurley Haywood in Need For Speed: Shift (My Day IN the Races). I felt like I was at a disadvantage having to use the controller. Not that it would have made a whole lot of difference in my driving that day.

As luck would have it, someone from Fanatec contacted me after my report of getting crushed by Hurley Haywood and offered to send a racing wheel for me to try. Let me just say, it felt like Christmas when the Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Racing Wheel showed up. I don’t love this wheel. I’m IN LOVE with this wheel. It’s simply amazing!

From the moment you lift up the box, you can tell from the heft that this isn’t your typical gamer racing setup. This one is built for those looking for a more realistic racing experience. Unpack this bad boy and you’re treated to one of the finest replicas of an actual Porsche steering wheel made for gamers anywhere. Honestly, I can’t imagine a finer wheel unless you were to take an ACTUAL Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel and somehow mount the appropriate gaming buttons to it. It’s that solid and realistic feeling.

One note before I go on. You need to know this is a dang classy setup. It’s well designed and thought out. It’s as much a work of art as it is a game enhancer. Too many video game accessories take function over form. Not so with the Fanatec wheel and pedals. This thing is THAT gorgeous.

Setup is a breeze with the major mounting options covered (table and stand). The first time you plug it in and power it on, you may be surprised by the calibration it cycles through. The wheel turns all the way on it’s own to the stop, then turns back to center. It’s pretty cool. It’s also a precursor to the stellar experience you’re about to embark on.

So far I’ve used the wheel primarily with Need For Speed: Shift on the Xbox 360. It has performed flawlessly and negates the need for a secondary controller to be on for menu navigation. Game play is truly taken to the next level with the wheel and included Standard Pedals. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you’ll be hard pressed to ever go back to a standard controller for driving game play.

Here are some features of the Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Racing Wheel:

• Original Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel design
• Licensed by Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH
• Authentic metal Porsche logo on wheel
• Hand stitched leather wheel manufactured according to Porsche quality standards
• Compatible with Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 (all games which support Force Feedback wheels)
• 6+1 Speed gear stick with realistic shifting feel
• Wired pedals with realistic clutch pedal with declining resistance
• 3 Force Feedback motors and smooth belt drive deliver sensational realism
• Powerful Mabuchi RS 550 Motor as used in RC cars delivers extra strong Force Feedback effects
• Extra smooth and silent belt drive without mechanical dead zone
• High resolution wheel sensor

It’s limited to a total production run of 10,000 units. There are three different versions you can buy. This only adds to the desirability in my opinion.

One of my favorite things about the wheel, aside from the overall improvement in quality of game play are the paddle shifters. Although I spend most of my time in automatic transmission mode to just concentrate on driving, every now and then I’ll kick it into manual transmission and use the paddle shifters. I love the effect and these operate exactly like I’d expect on a real car. They’re solid, not flimsy feeling and placed perfectly for two handed driving.

Overall, I can’t say enough good about this wheel and pedal setup. It’s BY FAR the best video game accessory I’ve ever tried and is well worth every penny. Hurley Haywood can BRING IT! I’m confident I can take him down now.

Check out the Fanatec site for more info on this and other wheels here: Fanatec Racing Wheels.

Still can’t figure out what to get the Porsche enthusiast in your life? Have I got a suggestion for you! How about a one of a kind (at least that I know of) Porsche Table?!

I found this while browsing Craigslist this morning. As much as I love the Porsche 930 Whale Tail, I don’t love this table. Maybe if it were painted a different color, like Guards Red, I’d be more into it. Quite a conversation piece though.

Here’s info from the Craigslist ad:

An original prototype table made from the wing of a Porsche 930 Turbo. It was designed and built by the artist David Weiner in 1984 in Westport, CT. The glass that goes on top is in excellent condition and is shaped to match the table. This is a designer piece for a collector. It has a few chips – photos available upon request. 50″l x 24″w x 31 1/2″h without the glass. With the glass it’s about 4″ wider and deeper.

This beauty will only set you back $500.

This year Christmas has snuck up on me a bit. I’ve actually intended to write a post highlighting some Christmas gifts for the Porsche enthusiast for almost a month now. For some reason, though, I haven’t gotten around to it. Couple that with my tendency to procrastinate and, well, you’ll have a good picture of what a frantic mess the week before Christmas (next week!!!) will be for me.

It’s funny. I love Christmas time, the lights, the feel, etc. I also love giving gifts. The part I suck at is figuring out what to give people. My kids are easy, but my wife and parents are tough. So in the end, I get to the point where I hate the last few days leading up to Christmas because I’m frantically trying to find the right thing. But I digress.

I decided last night that I would put together a list of last minute things you could buy your Porsche enthusiast. Every single one of these things should be findable/readily available and within reach of having the item in hand in plenty of time to wrap it and get it under the tree BEFORE the big day hits. Most of them have links that will take you straight to Amazon who is still claiming to get things to most people by Christmas if ordered no later than Monday.

Before we get the to list though, keep in mind these are LAST MINUTE suggestions, so this isn’t going to include hard to find or extravagant items that require time to get your hands on. Don’t judge me based on this list.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts For The Porsche Enthusiast

1. Top Gear 10: The Complete Season 10
I don’t know a single car nut, no matter what cars they love, that doesn’t like TopGear at least a little bit. If you don’t know, it’s a TV show based in the UK that covers cars. All sorts of them including Porsches. This is probably one of the safest gifts you could put under the tree for the Porsche enthusiast in your life.

2. Amazon Kindle
This may seem like an odd addition, but I love the Kindle. You can download all sorts of books, magazines, newspapers, etc. onto it over the wireless network (free for Kindle users, by the way) from the Amazon store. There are some great Porsche books available, not to mention other reads your Porsche enthusiast will enjoy.

3. Le Mans DVD
This is another one of the “safe” gifts. Le Mans is arguably the best movie with a Porsche and driving as a center piece. I’m sad to say I haven’t watched it, but I just ordered a copy for myself for Christmas! It’s an older movie, but it’s one of those that never gets old (or so I’m told).

4. Valentine One Radar Detector
Who doesn’t want their significant other to be safe from the smokies. I have an Escort 8500, but guess which one I want? Yep, the Valentine One. Depending on who you ask, this is either the best or second best radar detector in production. The guys who raced across the U.S. a couple of years ago and broke the coast to coast record used a Valentine One radar detector. That’s how good they are.

5. Porsche Books
Porsche: Excellence Was Expected – This is possible the single best book set you can buy. It’s not cheap, but it’s one of the best. I still don’t own a copy, but hope I’ll find it under the tree one of these Christmases.
Porsche: The Fine Art of the Sports Car – Another great book with lots of high quality pictures. Perfect as a coffee table book at home or in the office.
Porsche Sixty Years – Randy Leffingwell has written some great stuff about Porsches over the years. He’s definitely an authoritative source on all things Porsche. I haven’t read this book, but have heard it has some great images and captivating narration.
Porsche: The Road from Zuffenhausen – I’ve picked this book up several times, primarily because the cover gets me every time, and I’ve ended up spending quite a bit of time looking through the pictures. Another book with stunning images. You just can’t go wrong with pictures of Porsches.

6. Porsche Magazines
The following are 3 of my favorites. I’ve read a LOT of magazines covering Porsche over the last 25 years and these 3 have risen to the top as my favorites. If you decide to go with one of these, get the subscription, then grab a copy to wrap up for under the tree. That’s the best of both worlds.
Excellence Magazine – This is simply a staple mag for the Porsche enthusiast. Great writing, good coverage of lots of different Porsche models and typically excellent pictures.
Total 911 Magazine – This is a UK based mag and it’s not cheap, but well worth the money. I love their coverage and the stories they print. Plus I think John over at PorschePurist.com is writing for them, so it’s GOTTA be good!
Christophorus Magazine – I just recently started receiving this mag and I’ve really come to enjoy it. It provides what feels like more of an inside view of Porsche and has stunning photography.

7. On The Job Hand Armor & Hand Cleaner
This pick may have you scratching your head at first, but On The Job sent me some samples to try (I’ll be doing a review here in the next month or so), and I have to say I’m impressed. But why include this on a Porsche Enthusiast list? That’s simple. Every guy likes clean hands and doesn’t want sand paper hands. On the Job can take care of both of those things. The Hand Armor is a lotion that protects the skin as well as makes cleanup easier. On The Job Hand Cleaner makes cleaning the grease off your hands much quicker, even if you’ve just been out tinkering with the Porsche. The best thing about them is they’re non-scented. If you’re looking for something for a guy, consider this one. It’s a unique gift and one he’ll end up thanking you for all year long. The link above takes you to a page that shows you where you can buy On The Job products at local stores.

8. Porsche 911 Turbo
Yeah, I know this is California dreaming, but I had to include it. How freakin amazing would it be to have a Porsche in your driveway for Christmas?! If you’ve got the means, I’m sure if you walk into any Porsche dealership in the next week, you’ll easily be able to take delivery of a sweet Porsche 911 Turbo in time to get it to your driveway for a big Christmas Day unveiling.

My first thought, “Wow Porsche, you didn’t have to get me anything…Oh, alright, you did!” 911 GT3…this HAD to be good!

And here’s what was inside:

A somewhat personalized letter and a gorgeous brochure “From the inner sanctum” highlighting the 911 GT3. As a kid, I always loved car brochures. I’d pick them up whenever we went to look at new cars. Porsche was, of course, no different. I think I saved some of the literature I picked up at local Porsche dealerships from the 80′s. The pictures in this brochure are gorgeous and I love the layout. Took me to another place in time for a few.

Anyway, I just wanted to share. Felt like someone important for a few minutes. Anyone else get one of these beauties?