Where car lovers idle

Best drive-by bite

One of the best things to eat in the whole city can be had without leaving your car. Langer’s pastrami is cut by hand, the better to show off its beautiful texture and warm, beefy flavor. Piled high on lightly toasted rye, this is the definitive pastrami sandwich. Don’t bother to look for a parking place. Instead, phone in your order. They’ll ask for the make and color of your car. When you pull up in front, someone will run out in a jiffy with your splendid sandwich.Langer’s:

704 S. Alvarado St., Los Angeles. (213) 483-8050.

— S. Irene Virbila

Best place to crash

In the market for an Aston Martin? Isn’t everyone? Let’s make a visit to the over-the-top showroom that Galpin Motors dubbed Club Aston Martin. Accessible via private elevator, it’s outfitted like a bachelor pad that 007 (or Austin Powers) could love, with a big-screen TV and a 100-gigabyte music archive. Let them know you’re coming and they’ll have your martini ready. Shaken, not stirred.

Galpin Club Aston Martin: 15500 Roscoe Blvd., Van Nuys. (818) 922-3644

— Mimi Avins

Best cure for road rage

Designed using maps and GPS measurements, “True Crime: Streets of L.A.” lets you explore the city’s streets, complete with Staples Center, Hollywood and Vine, and downtown’s skyline — in a video game. Driving from Santa Monica to Koreatown takes as long as it would in the real world. Except in “True Crime,” red lights, pedestrians and other cars are mere bumps in the road. Just fly by ‘em with the hammer down and get there in record time.True Crime: Streets of L.A.: Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox. Rating: Mature. New or used, $10 to $49.99.

— Pete Metzger

Best speed reading

Specialty bookstores are a dying breed, which makes a visit to Autobooks/Aerobooks all the more wonderful. More than 7,000 books, 300 magazines, DVDs, VHS tapes and at least 1,800 die-cast car models fill every square inch of floor space — except where the Offy-powered Midget race car, straight off the old Gilmore Stadium track, is parked. Where else can you pick up a repair manual to a Hillman Imp, writing pens that look like shock absorbers, a five-speed chrome toilet plunger or rare books on the history of SoCal racing?

Autobooks/Aerobooks: 3524 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. (818) 845-0707.

— Thomas Curwen

Best place for a pedicure with your lube job

When you stop at the dealer for your scheduled oil change, why not multi-task and get a mani-pedi? You can even enjoy a latte while they’re buffing those nails: Fletcher Jones Mercedes in Newport Beach has both an in-house Starbucks and its own nail salon. The dealership used to have a putting green out back, where customers would while away the hours while their cars were being serviced. But the grassy playground went away when personal grooming and a caffeine fix proved more powerful draws than a place to practice a golf swing.

Fletcher Jones Motor Cars: 3300 Jamboree Blvd., Newport Beach. (949) 718-3069

— Mimi Avins

Best two-wheeler hang

There was a time, back in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, when you didn’t race motorcycles in California without a stop at Johnson Motors in Pasadena. Not only did the shop sponsor many of the top desert races — it was also the largest distributor of Triumphs west of the Mississippi — at least until Honda came to town and killed its business, forcing Johnson Motors to close in 1968.

Thanks to longtime vintage motorcycle collector Sean Kelly, Johnson Motors was reborn in early 2004 in a Pasadena alley, just a stone’s throw from its original location. Although its new incarnation doesn’t build or sell bikes — the inventory consists of home-grown retro T-shirts, books, magazines, art toys and memorabilia set up in a space that mimics a vintage garage — the shop has become a hub for riders looking to soak up an old-school vibe and meet for rides.

A second Johnson Motors is scheduled to open on Melrose Avenue in L.A. next month, selling clothing and custom bikes, from flat trackers to cafe racers and everything in between.

Johnson Motors: 36 W. Colorado Blvd., No. 7, Pasadena. (626) 796-5666, https://www.johnsonmotorsinc.com

— Susan Carpenter

Best place to make

like Montoya

Beverly Hills Motorsport sells not just deerskin driving gloves and custom car bras, but also real F1 helmets (worn by the likes of Ayrton Senna or Jarno Trulli), authentic 2006 Ferrari crew ware, and lots of fun memorabilia and scale models. Much of it doesn’t come cheap — a pair of 2001 Williams BMW Alpine Stars driving shoes signed by Juan Pablo Montoya will set you back $1,500. But there’s always the Michael Schumacher “6 time world champion” hat for $35. Put it on and sit in the demo virtual GT simulator (“the world’s finest personal racing simulator”) and roar off in your dreams.Beverly Hills Motorsport:

165 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 854-0888; https://www.beverlyhillsmotorsport.com

— Leslie Brenner

Best belch

On any given Sunday, this famous two-wheeler hangout is swarming with as many as 500 bikes at a time. The scene tends to break in waves, with sport bikers arriving around 8 a.m. for hearty egg breakfasts and cruiser types wheeling in after 11 a.m. for barbecue tri-tip and chili. A former Pony Express stop, the Rock Store takes its name from the volcanic rock used to build the country store and restaurant. Edward and Vern Savko — now 81 and 78 years old, respectively — bought the place back in 1961 to serve locals, but being at the midpoint through the canyons connecting Malibu and the Valley, it was bound to be co-opted by bikers.

The Rock Store: 30354 Mulholland Highway, Cornell. (818) 889-1311, https://www.rock-store.com .

— Susan Carpenter