My iPhone 5’s got a V-8

ID America's Gasket V8 case comes in five colors, those shown here plus red and yellow.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

For the last week, my iPhone has been sporting a case designed to look like an engine’s head gasket. The maker, ID America, calls it a V-8, but as I’ve only got one phone, it’s a four-banger.

The Gasket V8 case, as ID America calls it, is a nice variation on the competition, usually plastic or rubber with decorations consisting of simple prints and decals. This one is made of metal stamped through with four cylinder holes and apertures for cooling, oil, and bolts.

For variation, it comes in silver, charcoal, red, yellow, or blue. You will have to add your own grease.

A soft material coating the inside keeps it from scratching the phone and provides a little shock protection. Installation is a simple matter of snapping the phone in between the sides, no torque wrench required.

For those prone to dropping phones, the Gasket V8 case doesn’t offer a lot of protection. It shields the back and sides, but leaves the ends and face completely uncovered. ID America includes a clear plastic screen cover, but it has a big logo reading ‘Born in New York’ down one side, which I didn’t really want on my phone.

The plus side of the open design is that the iPhone’s ports and buttons remain easy to … [Read more]