I'm going to run a couple of cliche'd scenarios past your beady peepers, hoping that you make the connection and build a picture in your head. Fluffy dice, furry steering wheel covers and sun visors emblazoned with Kezza and Jase. Drum n bass music blaring out of cars that are essentially speaker housing accompanied by the smell of burning rubber. Did you envisage a white escort, with a spoiler and neon lights being driven by a badly dressed 'wide boy ' and his missus, doing a hand break turn in a disused car park to impress some kids that are too young to drive? If you did then your idea of car accessories is dangerously out of date.



Yes, these products are still available, but the streets are not being taken over by street racers looking for cheap thrills pretending they are in a game of grand theft auto. The wares available from car shops can be mixed and matched to great effect and are just as likely to be bought by owners of a Volvo as owners of the latest hot hatch. In fact, rather than finding neon blue strip lights and novelty alloys, it is much more likely that a specialist stockist for a car manufacturer will be selling branded merchandise that has as much to do with personal style as useful gadgets.

Car accessories have come a long way since leather driving gloves, goggles and fleece lined hats. The sort of specialist equipment available now is satellite navigation systems and built in cameras to aide parking. We could also get DVD and Playstations fitted to the headrests of the front seats. There are coin holders and flasks with the car badge engraved into the brushed aluminium or steel finish, with matching greenkeeper ring for when a game of golf is on the agenda. This a whole different class of merchandise, a range for the more discerning driver. A driver that is more likely to order an Adnams ale that a vodka Redbull with tequila chaser; not that I'm insinuating that any of these people drink and drive.

This driver is a bit Bond, a bit Mr. Milk Tray and definitely not a tyre spinning street urchin piling it around the streets of a town that went to bed at 8pm. This driver will be sporting a smart casual wardrobe, with the jumper also displaying the favoured badge of the vehicle du jour. There is the possibility that this person has many wardrobes, each with its own collections of cufflinks with matching tie depending on the car that is being driven that day. Ferrari leather gloves and Italian sunglasses are in one cupboard, and the Volvo watch, wallet and tee-shirt in another.

I think we are talking more Jeremy Clarkson than Jay Kay, both of whom have a massive collection of cars in their driveway and numerous garages. In fact, going with the Top Gear theme, James May is more like the example I have in mind for the modern man that shops for matching car accessories. He's also the type of man who likes a pint of ale; I think Jeremy prefers a spot of Stella. He'd be tempted to match his vehicle by sporting a baseball cap and rally style jacket and is not known for style or taste since his debut with Trinny and Sue. Mr May on the other hand could be Mr Milk Tray, silently winding through the streets at night to deliver monogrammed merchandise as a taken of love to the future Mrs Milk Tray; with not a tyre mark in sight.