Have there been any US presidents that we would consider a "car guy?" The last US presidential election fostered a lot of discussion about which of the two major party candidates the average American would like to sit down and have a beer with. But there has never been any discussion in the popular press about whom the average gear head would want to talk cars with. Presidents, and those who aspire to become president, will often go to great pains to show through photo-ops that they are men of the people, you would expect to see a candidate hanging out in a garage talking cars. Motor sports and home mechanics are popular American pursuits, but it seems to me that we have not had any potential candidates who could be realistically expected to differentiate between a differential and a drive shaft.
Woodrow Wilson was the first President to be driven to his inauguration so he gets Honorable Mention as a Car Guy. But I am willing to bet that the Washington DC sanitation department was tired of sweeping up horse poop and lobbied to have the new president make the change to cars rather than the traditional horse-drawn carriage.
Colonel Ike Eisenhower led a convey of Army vehicles from Washington DC to San Francisco in the early 1930's to determine how long it would take to reinforce the West Coast in the event of enemy attack. He discovered that it took nearly a month to make the transcontinental journey on the deplorable roads that spanned the country. One the first things he did when he became president 20 years later was to sign the legislation that created the national highway system that gave birth to the Interstate highway system that we take for granted today.
Lyndon Johnson liked to drive his Secret Service Lincoln limousine around his huge Texas ranch to check on his cattle. And it was rumored that Richard Nixon would take his Lincoln for high speed blasts up and down the Interstate highway just outside his San Clemente California "Western White House" late at night to relieve the pressures of office.
Jerry Ford's first speech as President was to modestly declare that he was "... just a Ford, not a Lincoln." The only driving he did was on the golf course and he was famously inept at that.
Jimmy Carter was a farm boy so it is certain that he grew up with a wrench in his hand to repair farm machinery. He became a Propulsion Officer on a Nuclear submarine and in his retirement he builds houses for the less fortunate through Habitat for Humanity, so he is the most mechanical president so far. But he walked back to the White House from his inauguration so he loses any Car Guy points for that.
Ronald Reagan was photographed driving his jeep on his California ranch and made the pilgrimage to Dayton to see Richard Petty win his 200th stock car race. But both gestures seemed more like ploys to shape his image rather than real interests.
Bill Clinton was a Ford man; prior to marrying Hillary he owned a Mustang convertible and a Ranchero truck with an Astroturf carpet in the bed. When asked why the working end of the Ranchero was lined with the fake grass, the president responded with a wink, "Don't ask."
The current administration certainly seems to be automotively involved. Between George W. Bush and his Vice President Dick Cheney, they possess three convictions for driving under the influence. And toss in the president's wife Laura who was behind the wheel when her high school boy friend was killed in an automobile accident. In the interests of political balance it is important to mention that the handguns that most Americans possess legally in their home have killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.
It seems to me that our presidents have only been tangentially connected to automobiles. An interest in things automotive or mechanical does not seem to be an important political qualifier for public office, which puzzles me because Americans have a demonstrated interest in all things automotive. NASCAR draws more fans than any other sport, car magazines are amongst the most popular periodicals and nearly every American relies upon a car for transportation.
The only public figure that admits to working on his own cars is General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, who made a nice side business of buying and fixing up used Volvo's for resale during his military career. Not afraid to get his hand greasy, General Powell has publicly stated that he does not want the dirty job of being the President of the United States. I think that proves that car guys are a lot smarter than we are given credit for.