Lunch with... Alastair Caldwell
Spending a day or even an hour with Alastair Caldwell, listening to his fund of stories about Formula 1 from the inside 40 or more years ago, is an unforgettable…
Strange brand, Husqvarna. On one hand, it’s a producer of class-leading cross-country racing motorcycles, with a hugely successful factory Motocross team and numerous Baja 1000 Rally successes to its name. On the other, it’s also a fine producer of, errr, gardening equipment.
The multi-faceted Swedish Group produces almost everything you need for a picture-perfect garden, including this radical range of robotic mowers. This latest version, the catchily named Automower 435X AWD, would be our pick, simply because it looks like the lovechild of a Lamborghini and a Flymo.
Aside from the dramatic bodywork and imposing rims, the tech inside is rather impressive also. It’s four-wheel drive, built to be able to cover up to 3500m2 and can tackle slopes of up to 35degrees, all while being guided by precision GPS. It can also be controlled via an app. Lawns are diced by three pivoting razor blades underneath, while it also has working headlights and a hinged centre chassis for extra manoeuvrability. We bet Bruce Wayne would have one, or even better, he’d line up a few together for a race around the Batcave…
Automower range from £1099, 435X AWD £4399, Husqvarna.com
We don’t usually cover engines in this section unless they’ve been repurposed as a coffee table or similar, but we’ll make an exception for Chevy’s new monstrous ready-to-race offering. A successor to the hugely popular LS7, this 7-litre behemoth boasts 570bhp and 540lb ft of torque. It’s the most powerful small-block V8 from the daddy of small-block V8 manufacturers. Changes include a wet-sump oil system and a high-lift camshaft. Expect it to adorn the engine bays of LMP prototypes and special saloons across the land soon. And it can probably be tweaked to fit your Vauxhall Nova too…
From $11,000, Chevrolet.com
September will host the 88th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours (or, at least, we hope it will…) Sadly, most of the American teams won’t be making the trip as a result of travel difficulties and IMSA clashes. The most notable loss will be Corvette, forced to break its 20-year streak at Le Mans and delay the European debut of its new C8.Rs. But you can still keep a piece of the team close with its range of jewellery featuring skull mascot ‘Jake’. Designed on a bar napkin in Le Mans town in 2004 and named after one of the Blues Brothers, Jake has been on every works Corvette since. This ring is .928 sterling silver and has his and hers sizes.
$295, corvetteracingstore.com
Tamiya is an office favourite thanks to its efforts to continually pump out remote-control scale-model versions of our favourite race and rally cars. Thanks to its tie-up with Formula E, you can have a 1/10 version of the Gen2 racer. The kit features an eight-part bodywork package, complete with ultra-detailed diffuser and Halo, plus all the paint and stickers to replicate the official series’ launch livery. All that is mounted onto Tamiya’s four-wheel-drive TC-01 chassis. Now everybody can host six races around the same track at their home, and it’ll sound like the real thing…
£250, Tamiya.com
Italian boatbuilder Riva makes a lot of pretty things. Some float, and some don’t. Undoubtedly, the stuff that floats is the preserve of people with far deeper pockets than we, with its range of motor yachts being some of the finest in the world. But now we can all dine as if we were in Monaco, thanks to this new homeware range from the brand. Our favourite is the plate range, which draws inspiration from Riva’s classic steering wheels.
€85, rivaboutique.it
Forget team T-shirts and hoodies, show your support (when you can) with branded protective gear… Depressing, we know, but protective face masks look set to become this season’s must-have customisable item. Dread supplies a host of British Touring Car Championship teams and officials and has produced a range of branded team masks so you can get behind your favourite, whilst keeping yourself safe.
From £6, shop.dread.cc