Dan's Papers - April 18, 2008 - Classic Cars by Bob Gelber

I ended my last article about small cars by mentioning the fact that I've previously owned two original Mini's besides the new one that's currently my daily driver. To make things clearer, the first two were bought secondhand in the seventies. One was a stock 1962 850cc Mini Countryman, a miniature station wagon, similar in shape to the new "larger" Mini that has just been introduced by BMW. The second Mini was a 1968 1275 Mini Coopers S hot rod, which compared to the 850 Countryman, was a definite high performance car. I enjoyed them both, and even though those original Minis were about one-third smaller than the diminutive current Mini, there was an amazing amount of room in both of them. Part of the appeal of the Minis, past and present, is that they are small packages with ample space for passengers.

One odd coincidence between Minis old and new is that I've always seemed to have trouble with their suspensions. All the original Minis had terminally cute ten-inch wheels, which actually looked like large donuts. On several occasions NYC potholes damaged the wheels and suspensions. I eventually sold my 1275 Cooper S because I got tired of paying for expensive repairs caused by potholes. Fast forward to today, and I'm currently having pothole induced suspension problems in my new Mini. Weird coincidence, or is this the curse of a British car owned by a German company?

I just had an avid reader, after last week's small car article, e-mail me to say he was lusting after a French Citroen 2 CV. I told him that I also love that weird little French car, and that I was waiting for the dollar to get stronger so I could get one in Europe. They can be purchased over here, but I find them pricey in the US, supply and demand and all that. Plus, it gives me a great excuse to go to France.

Many years ago, there was a Citroen Mehari advertised in Dan's Papers. Most people have no idea what on earth a Citroen Mehari is, but it's nothing but a Citroen 2 CV chassis that is clothed with a plastic Jeep-type body. Notice I said plastic, not fiberglass. This is very weird and very Citroen. The car was on a private estate, and if I remember correctly, near the golf course on Montauk Highway in Southampton. The only reason I mention the location is that the Mehari was shown to me by the caretaker, and the waterfront property was endless. I would guess over 25 acres. I had great fun driving the little Citroen at relatively high speed, for a 24 horsepower car, all over the private roads on the estate, I didn't buy the car because it was a little rough for my taste, but the scale and size of the land I "discovered" blew me away. I never found out who owned the land or the Citroen, but eventually heard about this mysterious piece of privately owned property. Supposedly, it was the largest piece of privately owned land in Southampton Township.

While I'm on the subject of property, there was another piece of property I discovered while testing a car. What I'm going to tell you might be a military secret and I may disappear, but here it goes. There are missile silos in Westhampton. And I'm not kidding - it's true. Years ago, when I was the weekly on-air car expert for News 12 Long Island, I was looking for a place to televise wet road skid control for the television audience. I found out the compound for the Southampton Town Police on Eastport Manor Road, in Westhampton, had an actual wet weather skid track. The Southampton police said I was welcome to use the track. During preproduction of the segment, I went to test out the track and couldn't help but notice many small, strange concrete buildings all around the area. I was very surprised to find out they were underground missile silos, apparently remnants of the Cold War. They are totally inactive and empty but kinda scary. When I finally started to do the skid tests in my car, out of courtesy, I asked if the officer, who was my guide around this secure area, wanted to go along for the ride. He turned a little pale and declined. More adventures of a car guy in the Hamptons next week.

Bob Gelber, an automotive journalist living in the Hamptons, appears regularly on television as an automotive expert. You can email him at bobgelber@aol.com