Put the ‘Vroom’ back into Valentine’s Day… says BOTB.com
Kim Henson reports.
Race-track experiences and private plates are the most romantic gestures you can give your partner this Valentine’s Day. But, with February 14 approaching, steer clear of air fresheners or cleaning sets.
A survey of 20,000 customers by dream car competition firm BOTB.com has revealed the Dos and Don’ts of what to spend your money on. The London-based company has given away more than £20m-worth of luxury motors so it knows a thing or two about the perfect gift.
Most popular was the race day experience which will no longer break the bank. Head for one of the many circuits around the country for a day behind the wheel of a supercar or single-seater and he or she will love you forever.
The next best gift is a personalised plate – a way to carry your pressie around with you wherever you go.
Third most popular in the survey is a chauffeur-driven journey to a nightspot or restaurant of your choice. Whatever you have planned for the better half, arrive there in luxury.
A satnav might not be the most obvious romantic item, but they don’t come cheap. And if your partner is the kind who gets lost en route to the corner shop, they’ll appreciate the thought.
And a big thumbs up to renting a supercar for a day, where you get to spend 24 hours making the neighbours think you’ve won the lottery. We can’t all win BOTB’s main prize, so treat your nearest and dearest to a day of automotive ecstasy.
But beware of the no-nos. Don’t expect to reach your final destination if you buy your partner an air freshener. Don’t even let the vanilla-scented Magic Tree tempt you. Car mats are for practicality not luxury. Nobody, but nobody, will thank you for this. Not even your shoes.
Branded keyrings… for a car you don’t even own. So he or she owns a Ford Ka, X-reg – don’t give them a Porsche keyring. Come to think of it, don’t buy them a Ford keyring either.
His/her novelty car accessories also got the thumbs down, with respondents suggesting they should be left behind in the mid-80s episodes of Only Fools and Horses.
And finally… never buy cleaning or polishing kits as a romantic gift. It is the automotive equivalent of buying your other half an iron. You’ll soon be scrubbed out of their life.
Founder of the BOTB.com William Hindmarch said: “Valentine’s Day is always a special day for couples and our results were interesting to say the least.
“It just goes to show you can just as easily get it wrong as you can right. We hope this will give people some insight into the Dos and Don’ts – we’d hate for anyone to fall out on their big day.”
TOP FIVE GIFTS:
1 – Race track day .
2 – Personalised number plate.
3 – Chauffeur driven night out.
4 – Satnav .
5 – Supercar experience.
WORST FIVE GIFTS
1 – Air freshener.
2 – Car mats .
3 – Keyrings.
4 – His/her novelty car accessories.
5 – Cleaning/polishing kits.
About BOTB:
BOTB first opened at Heathrow Airport in 1999. The first winner Daveeda Shaheen is still in touch with the company today. Indeed, many of the winners continue to play, convinced they have the Midas touch.
Since then BOTB has had winners all across the globe with many different reactions, the best of which probably came from Adel Mbarki and can still be seen online at www.botb.com