Car merch, swag, memorabilia—whatever you prefer to call it, it’s all cool and it can even be pretty addictive. I’ve written about this before. Whether you’re a rookie car enthusiast or a seasoned diehard, everyone loves a cool car t-shirt or hat. Or two, or four, or a storage unit full…
When this question came up during yesterday’s staff meeting, everyone immediately looked at me (if such a thing can be done via webcam), and for good reason. I’ve been collecting racing memorabilia since I was literally in diapers (thanks, Mom and Dad!), and besides the usual shirt, hat, or flag, I have some pretty dorky stuff that would make most people raise an eyebrow.
How about some hand-painted Scuderia Ferrari cereal bowls or a Michael Schumacher-branded shaving razor? If that isn’t dorky enough, I’ll raise you my Red Bull-era Sebastian Vettel beach towel or Ferrari-era throw blanket. Maybe a Tecate beer can-shaped hat from Adrian Fernandez’s days in CART will do.
But what about you? What’s the dorkiest piece of car merch you own?
As a journalist, I’ve also been privy to little things here and there like OEM thumb drives containing media kits—which back when I started in this business they used to hand out for every new car that hit the market. Sometimes these were plain and boring USB sticks while other times automakers got creative and gave them cool shapes. It doesn’t get sillier than a faux .50 caliber projectile with Ram Trucks branding on it, really. Or maybe it does? How about that one toaster that branded your toast with the Nurburgring’s outline?
It’s your turn to share!