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Love and a red Ferrari
For R5.9 million, you can get a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta for that man or woman in your life who has a thing for fast and luxurious cars.
The V12-fitted car can clock a maximum speed of 338km/h and has a fuel tank capacity of 92 litres. It can reach 100km/h in 3.1 seconds.
Not to be scoffed at is the Ferrari FF at a minimum price of R5.1 million. It is slightly slower than the Berlinetta, with a top speed of 335km/h.
Caroline Janse van Rensburg, spokesperson for Scuderia SA – formerly known as Viglietti Motors – would not say how many of the speed machines have been sold recently, but confirmed these models had sold “well” in past months.
She said the company’s top seller had been an updated Ferrari California T with a starting price of R3.6 million, which was launched in South Africa in February.
The new California T’s top speed is 316km/h, it can reach 100km/h in 3.6 seconds, and boasts a new turbocharged V8 engine with 15% lower fuel consumption than the outgoing model.
Jewellery a girl’s best friend
The king of bling, Yair Shimansky, founder of the up-market Shimansky jewellery stores, says the gem of the season is deep-blue tanzanite, which also happens to be December’s birthstone.
So if you are around Sandton, Canal Walk, the V&A Waterfront or on the freezing streets of New York City, pass by the jeweller and spend your heart out.
Shimansky praised the white gold tanzanite pendant shaped like the Southern Cross that goes for R7 000.
“Tanzanite is also the perfect festive season gift, as it is a thousand times rarer than diamonds,” he said.
But if you want something more glitzy than a stone, the world-renowned jeweller recommends you dazzle her with a rose-gold diamond-encrusted ring (pictured)
for R30 000.
It’s all about robotics
There is nothing like a great friend, especially one you can build from scratch. The previous generation loved Meccano, and many people fondly remember bolting together a toy wheelbarrow or a coffee table-sized Forth Bridge.
But the Meccano brand has now moved into the 21st century for the Generation Y kids, who love everything digital. It has introduced the Meccanoid G15, a 1.2m-tall robot you can build from scratch.
For one of the coolest toys of the year, walk into the Toy Kingdom at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and get yourself one these electronic cuties. It comes with 64Mb of flash memory with updatable firmware, Bluetooth connectivity, a rechargeable battery and a dual six-amp motor. It costs R5 000, but is definitely worth it, and you don’t need to be as rich as Tony Stark to own one.
Smooth liquid gold
For the whisky connoisseur, a bottle of Glenfiddich or Balvenie 50-year-old Speyside Single Malt is more than perfect.
These collector’s items cost at least R500 000 each.
The Glenfiddich 50 is on sale at Norman Goodfellows for R499 999, and the Balvenie 50 is on promotion at Makro for a not-to-be-sniffed at R629 000.
Christmas on the moon
An online company called Moon Register sold 120 “moon plots” to South Africans via Groupon last week. The so-called proof of ownership amounts to a PDF certificate with your name and a lot number.
According to Groupon, the usual price for a piece of lunar landscape is R504, but you can get yours for a knock-down R200.
“Moon moguls become starry-eyed...” says the Groupon website. “The perfect gift this festive season. Owning a piece of the moon is certainly something special and the gift that will last forever.”
