Dan's Papers -February 13, 2009 -

A new U.S. President has just been sworn in, and I hope every American wishes Barack Obama the best of luck. However, one thing that troubles me about the new president and that is that he's not a car guy like many of us. He even admitted it on network television, when he actually said, "I'm not a car guy," and added the fact that when he was dating his wife-to-be Michelle, he drove a Toyota Corolla with rusted out floorboards. That's living proof, because even a neophyte car guy would never even consider driving a Corolla, especially if he were a young, up and coming lawyer working for a prestigious law firm. Everybody knows it's de rigueur for a hotshot attorney to drive a Porsche or BMW.

So which past presidents were car guys? Through the release of historical papers of the United States Freedom of Information Act, as well as my contacts at The New York Times archival department and a few discreet calls to several old friends at the FBI and Secret Service Washington Bureau, I was able to find out the real truth about which of our leaders were into cars. For editorial reasons, I've left out Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. The facts, real or imagined, are shocking.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, president from 1933 to1945, was considered by many to be one of our greatest leaders. He guided America's survival after the depression and, during that early period, had a secret liking for V-8 Fords. As things improved, he liked to sit in the back of an open Lincoln convertible, smoking a cigarette with a long holder, especially while participating in a parade. Yeah, Roosevelt was a Ford guy. During the war years, he even had a drag race with Winston Churchill. Roosevelt was in a V-12 Lincoln and Churchill in a Bentley. It was a tie.

Harry S. Truman, president from 1953 to1961, was a hard act to follow after FDR, especially as a quiet little former vice-presidential haberdasher. However, the letter "S" in the middle of his name is a giveaway as to his real character. He was a secret hot rodder. You've all heard of the Porsche Boxster S and all those other super hot cars with an S added to their names. Lurking in the basement garage of the White House was a hopped-up 1953 Studealac. That's a '53 Studebaker coupe modified with a big bore Cadillac V-8 engine. Many times, late at night on the back streets of Washington, a black Studebaker coupe could be seen and heard, stealthily zooming around with a fleet of Secret Service Chevrolets trying to keep up. At the wheel was a little guy, wearing a fedora and a wild smile.

Lyndon B. Johnson was president from 1963 to 1969. Whereas Truman was a secret wild guy, Johnson made no secret that he was a Texas roustabout. There are many well-publicized photos of him speeding all over country roads in his Lincoln convertible, press cars in tow. There are also published reports that he could have received many speeding tickets, but never did. Only the East Hampton police would dare give the President of the United States a speeding ticket.

Gerald Ford, president from 1974 to 1977, wasn't a car guy. This fellow even had trouble walking, always tripping over podiums and his own feet. His favorite pastime was being chauffeured around in those big presidential Cadillacs. However, he did have his own black Buick that was usually parked in the White House garage. You could always tell it was his because it had a dented front and rear bumper. He couldn't park worth a damn.

Jimmy Carter, president from 1977 to1981, was a quiet, farm bred world leader who hid a dark secret. He secretly lusted after V-12 Ferrari motor cars. This was one of the best kept secrets of his administration, because as an American president, he had to back American products. I recently visited Carter's home in Plains, Georgia, where it has been rumored he stashes his secret Ferrari collection. However, he lives behind a gated compound with Secret Service men at the gatehouse. Please, Mr. Carter, you were President over 25 years ago, let the truth be told. Lots of people have lust in their heart for V-12 Ferraris.

Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were all car guys. Of the three, George H.W. Bush was the speed demon. A fighter pilot in WWII, it's said that he still has the need for speed. How many times have we seen pictures of him in his high-powered, cigarette type ocean racer shaking up sailboats off the waters of Kennebunk?

As far as George W. Bush, there have been many recent photographs and video clips of him dressed in a blue work shirt and jeans driving his Ford F-250 4WD around his ranch in Crawford, Texas. I personally believe these are all set up press photo ops. There's no doubt in my mind that Bush is a car guy, but judging from his interests, he's probably into military vehicles like Hummers and Abrams M-1 Tanks. So are a lot of people. Maybe it's good that Barack Obama isn't a car guy after all.

Bob Gelber, an automotive journalist living in the Hamptons, appears regularly on TV as an automotive expert. E-mail him at bobgelber@aol.com.