Looking for a way to keep your F. Scott Fitzgerald books under control? Fans of Art Deco style glamour may find a solution in these retro car bookends for sale at Graham and Green.
Fittingly for the subject matter, they're made from gleaming aluminium. If you'd ideally want an actual racing car but the budget won't stretch to it just yet, perhaps you can practise by keeping these beauties looking pristine.
The bookends cost £55.
Buy them online
Back at the start of 2008, we mentioned that a relic of old East Germany, the Trabant car, was being remade as an all-new eco car with a retro twist. Well, true to its word, Herpa and IndiKar have delivered a working prototype – the Trabant NT.
Reworked by former VW designer Nils Poschwatta, the new version keeps the character and feel of the original, but ditches the weak points (duroplast structure, two-stroke engine etc), instead bringing it into the modern era with an electric engine and we presume, all the safety features of a modern vehicle.
This prototype is designed to encourage investment, with a view to going into production in 2012 for what's expected to be a low price – probably around the £7,000 mark, More images over the page.
If you can't salvage a whole scooter, you might as well recycle what you can – what way better way to do it than by producing something like the Bel & Bel classic Vespa seating.
Old Vespa legshields converted to seating – what's not to like? Judging by the website there's plenty of options to choose from, including colour, scooter style and matching seating. This could be the coolest office chair you'll ever own.
Sadly, we don't know any details of ordering or stockists as the site isn't in English and there don't seem any obvious price details listed. So if you want one, drop them a line – they might be cheaper than you think. See another image over the page.
Find out more at the Bel & Bel website
Via Modculture
If you are already thinking ahead to your 2010 holiday and fancy a retro break, then they don’t come much more retro than hiring a VW Campervan from Slow Lane Campers.
Slow Lane Campers has a fleet of original classic 1960s and 1970s campervans, which are fully equipped for a camping holiday with a gas hob, sink and cool box. The company is based in Stockport, which put it within easy reach of popular camping destinations such the Lake District, Peak District and North Wales.
Obviously a camping holiday in the UK is better for the environment for jetting off on a long-haul flight, but Slow Lane Campers aim to make all of their holiday hires carbon neutral with a carbon offsetting scheme.
Prices for 2010 start at £330 for an off-season weekend, up to £600 for a week in summer. For full details visit the Slow Lane Campers website.
Citroen is proudly celebrating 90 years of car making and in our local dealers, a Citroen 2CV is sat in the centre of the showroom. It's a design classic of sorts – and you can pick one up fairly cheaply.
The 2CV (aka deux chevaux vapeur) was a relic of the past even during its production years (1949 – 1990), but was advanced on its introduction, packing some impressive, easy to service engineering within that simplistic shell. It also offered soft suspension, high ground clearance and a canvas sunroof. What it doesn't offer is speed – just a 602cc engine keeping you moving.
All of which makes the 2CV an easy-to-run 'classic'. There are a number of affordable models on eBay, the one above dating from 1985 (before production left France), with 69,000 on the clock and having been 'recently restored'. It can be yours for £2,600 or your best offer. A future cult classic for sure.
