Emily Atkins - Go to a vintage race
Make memories with your dad this Father’s Day. Instead of buying him a thing, take him to the track. The (Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada) VARAC Vintage Grand Prix takes place over the Fathers’ Day weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, near Bowmanville, Ont. Watch cars from six decades race wheel-to-wheel on the storied GP track, roam the paddocks and meet the drivers. There will be about 200 classic cars competing for glory over the weekend in numerous classes, from the very antique to nearly modern. On June 15th there is also a classic car show on the grounds, that’s included free with admission. Tickets start at $25.
Emily Atkins races her BMW M3 at the 2024 (Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada) VARAC Vintage Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, near Bowmanville, Ont.Alex Smalley GoFast Photography/Supplied
Matt Bubbers - A night out with Brad Pitt
Tickets to the Formula One Grand Prix in Montreal are pricey for a fake holiday like Father’s Day, but I’d happily settle for tickets (and a night off) to see the F1 movie. As it hits theatres on June 27, it will be a delayed gift, but it comes from the same producer-director team that made Top Gun: Maverick so you know it’ll be loud stupid fun. It stars Brad Pitt, who, at 61, is far too old even in Hollywood years to be an F1 driver. (Fernando Alonso, 43, is the sport’s grandpa.) The whole idea feels like a cash grab by F1 ownership to capitalize on the sport’s newfound popularity generated by Netflix’s Drive to Survive docu-series. The film will be bursting at the seams with product placement. And racing movies don’t exactly have the best track record. Whatever. I’ll take a large popcorn and suspend my disbelief.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Damson Idris, left, and Brad Pitt in a scene from "F1." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)The Canadian Press
Mark Richardson - Lego
My two kids buy me Lego cars every Father’s Day, and I couldn’t be happier for it. There’s a car for every budget, from $6 for a 29-piece palm-sized race car (good for letting your six-year-old assemble for you), all the way up to almost $600 for a McLaren P1 with 3,893 pieces. I usually end up with two of the $35 sets, though they sometimes join forces and buy one gift. If they’re reading this, I’d really like Nigel Mansell’s $100 Williams Racing FW14B. I can put it together in a couple of hours without getting my hands dirty.
The Lego version of Nigel Mansell’s F1 Williams Racing FW14B. In the background is the real thing, which he drove to the 1992 World Championship.Supplied
Kunal D’souza - Ray-Ban Meta AI sunglasses
The most important accessory I look for before I go for a drive is a good pair of sunglasses. I never leave home without mine. Glare from the sun can be blinding and a quality pair of sunglasses can be the difference between seeing and not seeing where you’re going. The Ray-Ban Metas come in a few different styles and have cameras embedded in the frame. You can take hands-free photos and videos or listen to music, and the built-in artificial intelligence can even identify what you’re looking at. It takes sharing your point of view to a whole new level. They are also perfect to capture fun drives or road trip memories. The sunglasses cost $369.
Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses cost $369.Supplied
Petrina Gentile - The Complete Book of Porsche 911
For the car dad who loves the Porsche 911 but likely isn’t buying one any time soon, this gift is the next best thing. It’s The Complete Book of Porsche 911: Every Model Since 1964, by Randy Leffingwell. The stunning hard-cover coffee table book offers a historic account of Porsche’s most iconic and important vehicle: the 911. Leffingwell recounts the ever-evolving sports car year by year and shares fascinating anecdotes and technical specifications on everything from the original 901 prototype to the 1993 Carrera 2 Speedster, in Fly Yellow, that didn’t have airbags to save weight to the 2004 GT3 coupe that could hit 100 kilometres an hour in 4.5 seconds. Filled with stunning photographs, it’ll captivate dad for hours. Published by Motorbooks, the book costs $80 and this fourth edition goes on sale on June 3.
The cover of Randy Leffingwell's The Complete Book of Porsche 911: Every Model Since 1964.Supplied
Inside pages of The Complete Book of Porsche 911: Every Model Since 1964 show the the 1993 Carrera 2 Speedster in Fly Yellow.Supplied
Jeremy Sinek - Open car lapping
Does your dad have the need for speed and a car to match? Send him to the track at Toronto Motorsport Park. Actually located near Cayuga, about 45 kilometres south of Hamilton, TMP hosts “run-what-ya-brung” Open Car Lapping through to October 31. He can drive its three-kilometre circuit at his own pace in his own mechanically fit car. Daytime sessions (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) are Mondays and Fridays, evenings (5 p.m. to 9 p.m.) Wednesdays and Fridays. Weekends vary, depending on other events on the track. Gift vouchers cost $120 for evenings, $190 for daytime and bookings can be made at least seven days in advance. Drag-strip and exotic-car experiences are other options.
A BMW races around Toronto Motorsport Park in Cayuga, Ont. as part of the Open car lapping session.Supplied
Doug Firby - Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto dash screen
You’re never going to part with your irreplaceable Mazda Miata NA (first generation) or Nissan 280Z, but it sure would be nice to have some modern tech. For about $150, you can cheat and do a quick upgrade to Android Auto/Apple CarPlay with a wireless dash-mounted screen. These devices mount on your dash or windshield, power up when you start your car and connect wirelessly or via USB. Various models typically also offer a front dash cam, high-resolution backup camera, GPS navigation with Bluetooth and WiFi. Highly rated models include the Carpuride W901 Pro Screen, Zembukil Portable Wireless Carplay Car Screen and Westods Portable Wireless Carplay Screen.
A rendering shows the Carpuride W901 mounted to the dash of an older vehicle.Courtesy of manufacturer
Jason Tchir – Budget dash camera
A dash cam could get you off the hook in a crash, but don’t dash out to get the cheapest one you can find, reviewers say.
The top picks at sites such as Consumer Reports and The New York Times Wirecutter tend to be pricey. For instance, the Nextbase 622GW and the Viofo A229 Pro both start at around $500 and capture images clear enough to easily make out licence plates at highway speeds.
For less than half that, there’s the Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3, which Tech Radar calls the best budget dash cam. It’s $219.99 on Garmin’s website, but we found it for around $200 on Amazon and at Best Buy.
It’s only a front camera, so it won’t show what’s happening behind you, but if you get rear-ended, a front view can prove you weren’t at fault.
Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3Courtesy of manufacturer