Behind the Wheel: There’s nothing ‘middle’ of the road about these cars

METRO DETROIT — There is a large group of micro/mini car owners nationwide who meet occasionally to bond over the unique vehicles they own.

They travel across state lines for activities geared toward quirky cars, funny stories and camaraderie.

Jim Golomb, of Northfield, Illinois, is one such car buff. He just organized the fourth annual Meet in the Middle Micro Car/Mini Car 2025. Micro/mini car owners from Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kentucky, New Mexico and more trailered their vintage vehicles and met up June 20-21 in Macomb County. 

Marty and Marybeth Abramson, for instance, made the trip with their 1971 British Bond Bug all the way from Niagara Falls, New York. Jeff Lane, of Nashville, Tennessee, brought three mini cars along for the ride. Lane felt right at home with the other micro car fanatics: he owns the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.

A microcar usually has three or four wheels with an engine smaller than 700 cubic centimeters. Types of microcars include bubble cars, cyclecars, Invacars, quadricycles and voiturettes. 

Meet in the Middle was supposed to kick-start with an outdoor barbecue June 20 at Brandenburg Park in Chesterfield Township. However, because of unpredictable weather, the group brought the hot dogs and potato salad indoors to the Tru by Hilton Hotel in Chesterfield Township.

The June 21 agenda was to tour Stahls Auto Museum in Chesterfield Township, drive over to Selfridge Military Air Museum in Harrison Township, and have dinner at the Sugarbush Tavern in Chesterfield Township. The parade of cars also headed to Sanders Chocolate & Ice Cream Shoppe in Clinton Township Friday night. 

“I’m glad to be here among friends. This is what it’s all about,” Golomb, 75, said. “I grew up in Saginaw and my family worked for General Motors. Cars were my thing. I enjoyed them. I like unusual cars.”

Golomb can’t get enough of his 1955 Messerschmitt.

“It’s a two-seater. There’s a front and back seat. What I like most is sharing the cars with other people, letting kids see them and letting adults see them,” he said. “They’re fun. They’re unique. They’re different.”

Golomb also owns a 1957 BMW Isetta and a 1930 Rolls Royce Phantom One.

One reason for the Brandenburg Park barbecue was so that a small group of local Amphicar owners could make a splash in Lake St. Clair. That fell through, but International Amphicar Owners Club members still met up with the group at the hotel.

The Amphicar, designed by Hans Trippel, operates on land and water. According to the website rarehistoricalphotos.com, the Amphicar was manufactured in West Germany and first appeared in the U.S. at the 1961 New York Auto Show. The website states the Amphicar’s engine was mounted at the rear of the vehicle, driving the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. On the water, the same engine drives a pair of reversible propellers at the rear with a second gear lever engaging forward or reverse drive.

Fraser resident Chuck Reiner, 70, owns a 1968 blue Amphicar.

“It’s all my wife’s fault,” he joked. “She saw an Amphicar at the Woodward Dream Cruise.”

His wife, Deanna, thought it would be the ideal vehicle to take up north.

“I did end up finding one. I take it to a lot of car shows whenever possible and on Lake St. Clair. You can seat two people in the front and three people in the back,” Reiner said. “On water, it felt very unnatural at first. You’re driving your car into the water. After you’ve done it a couple times, it feels enjoyable. It takes forever to get up to speed. We go on all kinds of rivers, lakes, all over the place in different states.”

The Reiners trailer the car to Florida in the winter to meet other IAOC members for some water time.

“We have members throughout the country and throughout the world,” Reiner said. 

Other IAOC members Tom Hurley, of Fair Haven, and Jeff McKeown, of Chesterfield Township, attended Meet in the Middle. McKeown has a 1964 Amphicar he takes out often with his significant other, Sandra Shenduk. McKeown morphed into owning the vehicle after his uncle sent him a photo in one. 

“It’s just awesome. We get together in the summer and go to Lake St. Clair. We can travel in the shallow areas and by the bays and hang out with the boaters and go swimming,” McKeown said. “Little kids love it.”

“We get so many people stop what they’re doing and take a picture of the car,” Shenduk said. 

Rumor has it that even singer Uncle Kracker once snapped a photo of them. Harsens Island in St. Clair County is a favorite spot for Shenduk, and McKeown has even medaled at the Algonac boat show. Not content with just owning one vintage model, McKeown also has a 1948 Crosley wagon. 

Hurley said he purchased his 1964 red Amphicar from George Gray, an announcer from “The Price Is Right” who also hosted the “Weakest Link” game show.

Although the Amphicar “doesn’t go very fast, everyone loves it. Everyone is waving at you. Everyone is looking at you,” Hurley said. “I’ve swam out of it. The first time driving it was a little scary. We’ve been to Lake Michigan. We trailer them and go all over. Just putzing along, it’s relaxing to me.”