AUTOART F1 Paperweight
1:8 | $24.95
Accessories are what makes the car guy (or gal’s) auto decor stand out, and if your crossed-flags night light and checkerboard of- fice curtains aren’t cutting it anymore, try this on for size: a 1:8 Formula 1 tire and rim com- bination that can be used either as a tealight candleholder when the mood strikes, or an authentically scaled paperweight when it’s time for business of another kind. The source may surprise you; AUTOart has had a lot of fun these last few years converting what look to be real automotive components into “lifestyle” items, from carbon-fiber suspension arm desk lamps and brake-disc clocks, to velocity stack drinking glasses, twin-carb salt and pepper shakers, and aluminum shift-handle basin pumps (that’s “toilet plungers” to us Yanks). This particular bit of desktop whimsy uses diecast and “road-scuffed” rubber to replicate a racecar’s unsprung componentry well, whilst proving that in addition to making some great models, the people at AUTOart have a mischie- vous design ethic—and a healthy sense of humor. What fun. – Bill Bennett autoart.com
