About That Gift List...(Column)

Byline: Rich Ceppos

Holiday time is upon us, and you're no doubt vexed by the annual conundrum of what to get for me. I know, I know, I'm hard to buy for. Just when you think you've got the perfect gift figured out, it doesn't seem, well, big enough anymore. A simple sweater won't do. (You're absolutely right.) And that extra pair of mechanic's gloves you've had lying around your workshop all year in anticipation of the big day suddenly doesn't seem appropriate. (Right again.)

Listen, why don't I give you a few ideas directly off of my wish list? Couples about to be married have gift registries. Why not me? I want this gift-giving thing to work, because it's really swell and fulfilling when you're able to give someone exactly what they want. And I so want you to feel fulfilled.

So here's a short list of absolute must-haves from www.GiveRichaGift.com.

1. A '32 Ford hi-boy roadster from California Hot Rods: The house that Chuck Lombardo Sr. and Jr. built creates some of the tastiest hot rods and street rods on the planet. Their best stuff is the seemingly endless variations they play on the classic rod, the kind with no fenders and a flame-painted hood. An old Ford ought to be powered by a Ford engine, so let's drop in a Motor-sport 351 crate motor, one with, oh, about 430 horsepower.

Now that's heaven on four billet wheels. I promise you'll be the first person I take cruisin' when the weather warms up.

2. A 1965 Chevrolet Corvette: Has to be the roadster with the 327-cubic-inch small-block V8 and four-speed manual gearbox. I know you wouldn't think of giving me one that wasn't in concourse condition, because you're just that way. And let me save you some money: Forget the rare ...