Looking for the ultimate stocking stuffer for the man who has everything? Charabanc, a new British-based brand named after the early open-topped motorcoach cars that were the precursors to modern buses, has just unveiled a luxury car air freshener, priced at approximately $160, that promises a stylish refresh for the well-wheeled. Forget new car smell or that scented paper Christmas tree on a string. They will now forever be trumped by Charabanc’s hand-crafted, stenciled-steel pomanders mimicking the design of a car’s spoked rims.
Each piece is made by metal spinners in the heart of Portsmouth, who otherwise spend their days working on aviation fuel tanks and Spitfire nose cones. The pomanders come with a hand-finished leather lid in London Tan, Racing Green, or Orient Black, made from Spanish hides sourced from one of Britain’s oldest suppliers of leather.
Charabanc Luxury Car Fragrance Photo: Courtesy of Charabanc
The pomanders come with a choice of circular ceramic fragrances created by a world-renowned nose at top perfume house, which are meant to replicate the scents of some of the world’s famous driving routes. A fragrance that blends the aromas of freshly-cut grass, Scots Pine, sage, lavender, mint, fir balsam, and cedarwood evoke the fells of Pennine Britain. The plains of Castelluccio in Italy are recreated in a lavender, sage, Calabrian bergamot, iris pallida, amber, Cacao, vetiver, patchouli, and leather blend. Raspberry, violet leaves, thyme, cypress oil, saffron, jasmine, amber, black leather, and mate combine to conjure the notes of the Colorado Plateau’s Monument Valley. The journey to Hong Kong’s Tai Mo Shan and the silk road in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand round out the scents for a total of five fragrance options that can be slipped into the pomander cases.
“Along the Plain of Castellucio” fragrance Photo: Courtesy of Charabanc
Each case also comes with a leather lanyard, but if hanging an air freshener from your rearview mirror still sends a shiver up your spine, the pomanders also come with a stainless steel clip that can be attached to an air vent. And for those who may be looking for an even more discreet way to rejuvenate their BMW Alpina B7 or Range Rover Autobiography, the pomanders have been designed to nestle neatly inside a coffee-cup holder.
