Accoutrement: Behind the Wheel

by Steve Lundin

Our hero has enough automotive gadgets to woo his passenger into a photo shoot at the beach. Was it the silver Porsche that distracted her from the silver in his hair or the bevy of hot new automotive products our tiger on the make has at his disposal? 

Oliver People’s
You’ll never look like Brad Pitt, have his money, his women or his public adulation, but you can probably afford one thing he has: Oliver People’s sunglasses. Its men’s sunglasses lineup features several variations of aviator and military-influenced frames made out of titanium with the firm’s  logo built into the composition of the lens itself (fog up a pair and you’ll see what we mean). Available online, at upscale retailers or one of their seven stores, located around the world. Prices range from $325 to $450.

Piloti shoes
OK Speed Racer, anyone who has spent more than ten seconds watching the Speed Network knows that a professional driving kit starts at the bottom: with your shoes. Piloti makes the stuff found in the closets of professional drivers. The shoes feature reinforced sides, an athletic fit and soles that are stippled with small rubber beads to assist with gripping the pedals.

Wheelskins gloves, wheel covers
Why a driving glove and leather wheel cover?  Looks and feels cool—indulge. See http://wheelskins.com for more information.

NFW Auto-Pilot watch
The NFW Auto Pilot is the newest product from U.S.-based George Fox’s watch company—and it does feel good to be able to assign a name and personality to a product. This NFW is a sporty black-on-black with orange hands and markers, but it’s also available in a dozen styles and as an automatic or quartz chronograph. Prices: The automatic is $595 and the quartz is $495: www.nfwonline.com.

Garmin Nüvi 765 T
With the plethora of GPS-enabled devices, how do you pick the one device to steer you down the road? Make it easy on yourself and go for the greatest number of features in the most user-friendly package. We found that the Garmin Nüvi answered the call. Price: $499.

Cobra XRS R9G 
Radar detector
Cobra has been developing innovative products for leadfoots for years. The XRS series is one of the most feature-rich and inconspicuous that we have found. The R9G’s Super-Xtreme Range Superheterodyne™ Technology detects twelve radar/laser bands and gives advance warning of even the fastest POP mode radar guns. It comes with a GPS locator and lifetime subscription to AURA Database to alert you to verified speed and red light camera locations, dangerous intersections, and reported speed trap locations for the entire United States. Price: $469.95, www.cobra.com.

 Leica D-Lux 4
When it comes to top-of-the-line camera equipment there is Leica and there is Hasselblad, and Hasselblad doesn’t make a pocket digital camera. The most bang for your buck comes in a 228 gram 10.1 million-pixel package called the Leica D-Lux 4. This little Leica is a runt cousin of the digital M-8, and has an incredible 5.1-12.8 mm (24-60 mm in 35 mm terms) Leica DC vario-Summicron ASPH lens that opens up to f 2. The color is outstanding and the Leica delivers photos in many formats. And did we mention that it has face (and body) recognition technology? Price: $699.