Ken and Lori Reed’s collection includes five Rivieras, two Thunderbirds, one Corvette and a 1934 Chevrolet. 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

It’s been four years since Lori Reed suggested to her husband, Ken Reed, that they take a drive to explore Lake Panorama. It was a lovely fall day, and they liked what they saw. When they started searching for the perfect home, one thing on their wish list was a nearby empty lot.   

“We were living in West Des Moines and owned a building where our car collection was stored,” Ken Reed says. “We knew if we were ever going to move to Lake Panorama fulltime, we’d want to have a place for our cars.” 

The couple moved to Lake Panorama in the summer of 2023. That August, they broke ground on the building across the street that now houses their collection of nine cars. 

On the upper level, 1,400 square feet of living space includes two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, dining and living areas, and an office. One feature of the living area is a window that provides a view of the cars in the garage below. 

The couple has been married since 2017. Their blended family includes nine children, 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. 

“We use this extra living space a lot, hosting family and friends,” Ken says. “It gives them privacy, and it gives us peace. Lori also has her office here.”

This summer, the couple sold their West Des Moines home and building that housed their cars and moved fulltime to Lake Panorama. The move coincided with Ken Reed starting to transition toward retirement. 

Reed is a surgical oncology specialist and completed 50 years as a surgeon on July 1 of this year. After medical school, he spent 28 years in the Army as a surgeon, retiring from there in 2002. He has been in Des Moines since 1986 when he took a position with Des Moines University as chairman of surgery. He served as dean of the medical school from 2003 to 2012. 

Reed worked at Mercy Hospital for 25 years, then Broadlawns Hospital the past 14 years. On July 1, he moved to parttime status at Broadlawns. He now works two days a week with clinics on Tuesday and surgeries on Wednesday.

“I’ve had a great career,” Reed says. “I love what I do, and I love working at Broadlawns. I’m 78 years old, and it’s time to slow down. I have great partners, and the surgery residents I work with are terrific. This move to parttime allowed me to stop being on-call, which made living fulltime at Lake Panorama possible.” 

It also means more time for Ken and Lori to enjoy their car collection. The collection includes five Rivieras, two Thunderbirds, one Corvette and a 1934 Chevrolet. 

Of those nine, the first car purchased was a white 1964 Riviera, which Reed bought in 2013. He says his interest in Rivieras started when he was 21 years old. 

“I’m from Texas. In 1968, I was married with two small children. I had finished college and applied for medical school,” he says. “My wife and I were driving in Dallas one very hot day, in a car that didn’t have air conditioning. We drove by a dealership, and I saw a Riviera. We got into that car, turned on the air conditioner and just sat there. I bought the car.” 

Reed soon was accepted into medical school. 

“That car got eight miles to the gallon,” he says. “I couldn’t afford to drive it with all our other expenses and had to trade it in.” 

The Buick Riviera was first introduced in 1963. Besides the white 1964 Riviera, the Reeds now own a 1965 in maroon, 1967 in black, 1968 in red and a 1972 Riviera in gray with red interior. Of those five cars, the 1965 is Ken’s favorite. 

“This was a barn find,” he says. “The owner lived in Minnesota and had the car stored in his barn since 1980. I bought it from him in 2016 and trailered it home. I have a good friend in Houston who is a Riviera guy. He did a frame-off restoration for me.” 

A frame-off restoration involves completely disassembling the vehicle, separating the body from the frame and meticulously restoring each individual component to like-new condition. The restoration took two years. 

“It’s not possible to find good replacement parts for these cars,” Reed says. “I was lucky this car had been stored inside so most of the parts were there, but everything needed to be restored.” 

The 1965 Riviera is a Gran Sport model. 

“This is the most desired Riviera for collectors,” Reed says. “Only 4,000 of these were made, so they are hard to find. The engine is a 425 cubic inch V8, 360 horsepower with dual carburetors and a positraction rear axle. These cars weren’t considered hot rods, but they were built to go fast. These are called a gentleman’s muscle car.” 

Lori Reed’s favorite is the couple’s 1962 Ford Thunderbird Sport Roadster. 

“It’s a lot of fun to drive,” she says. 

The Thunderbird features a red exterior and black interior. At first glance, it’s a two-seater. A hard-shell cover can be removed to reveal two back seats. For this model, Ford incorporated an automatic system that opens the trunk and brings forward a canvas top to cover the convertible. 

The second Thunderbird in the collection was manufactured in 2002. 

“It’s probably the most fun car to drive that we own,” Ken says. “These two-seater convertibles have V-8 engines. These were called ‘baby birds’ and manufactured from 2002 through 2005. Only 25,000 were made.” 

The couple has had their 2014 Chevrolet Corvette for five years. This C-7 Corvette was the 11^th off the assembly line in 2014. 

“The first owner was a famous car dealer named Rick Hendrick, sponsor of multiple NASCAR drivers, including Jeff Gordon,” Reed says. “He bought my car initially and then was able to buy VIN #1 of that year, so he sold VIN #11 to me. It had 2,000 miles on it when I purchased it. The odometer now is at 5,000 miles.”

As with all the other cars in the collection, Ken Reed says this one is fun to drive. 

“It’s fun, and it’s fast,” he says. “These cars can go zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. That’s fast.” 

The 1935 Chevrolet Master Sedan was restored by Ken’s brother. 

“He’s a car guy,” Ken says. “He’s done a lot of exterior restorations but always had someone else do the interior. He decided to learn to do interior restoration on this one. He also added some extras, like air conditioning and a stereo.” 

Because this early car model didn’t have a trunk, small trailers to pull behind were introduced. Once the car was done, Ken’s brother also found and restored one of those trailers to match the car. 

Reed says he doesn’t have the expertise or the equipment to restore cars. 

“I’ve learned it’s best to buy someone else’s restoration. Car restorations always end up costing more than you think, and take longer than you think,” he says. 

Asked if there is another vintage vehicle in their future, both Ken and Lori say they would like to have a Chevy truck from the years 1955 to 1957. 

“But, right now, the garage is full,” Ken says. “We’d have to sell something to make room for a truck. It’s something we talk about.” 

For everyday driving, the Reeds own a Chevy Tahoe and a Chevy Impala. But, when it’s time to have some fun, they pull out one of the nine cars in their collection for a spin.

Wade Sundeen’s 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Special Edition is rare. 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Wade Sundeen learned at a young age to look for unique cars. Now he is the proud owner of a car that is so unique, someday it may be in a museum. 

Sundeen has owned property at Lake Panorama since 2003. He designed and built his current home on a finger of Burchfield Cove and moved into it in 2005. He had started a painting and decorating business in 1990 and retired in September 2023.

He grew up in Indianola and worked at a body shop there through high school and for a time after he graduated. 

“I practically grew up in a body shop. I’ve worked on a lot of Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, Monte Carlos, Chevelles,” Sundeen says. “I used to buy and restore cars, then sell and start on something new. But, this car is different.” 

Sundeen says it was a Sunday in November 2023 when he saw this car for sale on a social media site. He was immediately interested because of the striking green color. The owner lived in Omaha. Sundeen made a call and asked a few questions. The next day, he made a visit to Billy Hummel, who owns Hummel Auto Body in Panora. 

“I showed Billy the car, and he said I should go get it as fast as I could,” Sundeen says. “My neighbor across the cove, Peg Carr, went with me to get it and drove my truck back home.” 

The car is a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Special Edition. Finished in the distinctive Synergy Green Metallic paint, the limited production model was available in controlled numbers with only 2,425 produced. Yet, Sundeen’s car is even rarer. 

“These cars have a V6, 304 horsepower engine that produces more horsepower than most previous V8 engines,” Sundeen says. “Just 465 of the 2,425 produced were made with six-speed manual transmission. Of those, only 227 were equipped with both a manual gearbox and a sunroof.” 

Sundeen’s Camaro is one of those 227 cars. To make it even more rare, the 15-year-old car has just 9,695 miles on the odometer. 

“I’m just the third owner,” Sundeen says. “The original owners had it for 12 years and put about 4,000 miles on it. The second owner had it for two years. He said the car had never been driven in snow and was in rain only twice. He bought it for his son to drive, but the son didn’t like the manual transmission. They put about 5,000 miles on it.” 

At the time of purchase, the car had 9,400 miles on it. 

“I drove it 140 miles to get it home, and I made one trip to Boone in it,” Sundeen says. “I haven’t taken it to any car shows, but if I ever do, I’ll put it on a trailer to transport. I want to keep the mileage below 10,000.” 

Once Sundeen got the car to his garage, he wanted to do everything possible to bring it back to the same condition it would have been coming off the production line. The car’s “born on” date is April 15, 2010. 

“The original owner had bumped a curb and done some damage to the front facia,” Sundeen says. “It had been repaired with a piece that was from a different Camaro model. I knew I wanted it to look original.” 

Billy Hummel stepped back in to do the body work. 

“It took him many tries to find the perfect color match,” Sundeen says. “The paint features both pearl and metallic particles that combine to make the color so unique and distinctive. It’s a difficult color to match.” 

When Hummel’s frontend repair was complete, Sundeen took over.

“I worked on the car in my garage for an entire winter,” he says. “I jacked it up and took out every nut and bolt I could get at to clean and polish before putting it back together. For the body, I spent four weeks just buffing and hand rubbing the finish to get it just right.” 

Once a month, Sundeen pulls the car out of its climate-controlled garage and drives up and down his short driveway five or six times. He also turns on the air conditioner once a month. 

“Even though I’m not driving it on the road, I still need to keep things in working condition,” he says. 

The car has its original battery and tires. It sports a special gas cap that was a dealer-installed option and is one of only 61 manufactured. 

Sundeen has two three-ring binders filled with information about both his specific Chevrolet Camaro Synergy and the car in general. In one of the binders, he documents all the time and effort he spent restoring the car plus what he continues to do to maintain its current condition. The second binder is filled with promotional flyers, magazine stories, photos, dealer materials and other information related to this 2010 car. 

“I’ve never enjoyed a car as much as this one,” Sundeen says. “I think the main reason is because of the color. It changes all the time, depending on how the light hits it. I don’t want to drive it. I enjoy having it in pristine condition.” 

It is interesting to note that two of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Synergy Special Edition cars manufactured are owned by Lake Panorama residents. Bill Kelly, who lives on the lake’s west side, has the same make, model and colored car as Sundeen. Kelly purchased his in 2015 with 30,000 on the odometer and now has 98,000 miles on it. In an interview a year ago, Kelly said, “I just like to drive it.” 

Sundeen belongs to a group of Synergy car collectors. 

“I’ve talked with other collectors, and I know my car is incredibly rare. That’s because only 227 of this particular model were produced, but also because of its low mileage. I think someday this will be in a museum or a top collector’s display.” 

But, for now, Sundeen doesn’t have any plans to sell the car. 

“I just love owning this car,” he says. n

While the Jeep of Brandon Waddle’s dreams was purchased for him, the three Waddle girls were often in the driver’s seat. 

 

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Brandon Waddle has owned two Jeeps. He was 16 years old when he purchased his first and in his early 40s when he got his second.   

Waddle has been a part of the Lake Panorama National groundskeeping crew since he graduated from Iowa State University with a horticulture degree in 1998. His wife, Jaime, has been with Panora Fiber since April 2002. They met in Las Vegas through mutual friends and have lived at Lake Panorama since March of 1998. 

Brandon’s love affair with Jeeps came from his father, Dennis Waddle, who passed away in 2011. 

“I grew up thinking Dad was part owner of the local Jeep dealership with all the different Jeeps he had,” Brandon says. “Multiple CJ-7s, Wranglers, Renegades, Willys, Jeep Scrambler, a few named Boss Hog and Cletus, and my favorite, Black Beauty.”

Waddle’s first car was a 1986 Jeep Wrangler CJ-7. 

“That was back when Jeeps were Jeeps, not built for long trips or commuting,” he says. “With its short base and being lightweight, it was on two wheels more than I wanted. It was a cruiser and toy. It had all the bells and whistles — fuzzy seat covers, glass pack muffler, PA system and oversized knobby tires.”

When Waddle entered college, he traded the Jeep for a Mustang. 

“But I always wanted to have another Jeep someday,” he says.

Jaime Waddle picks up the story. 

“Brandon has wanted to get a Jeep since I have known him,” she says. “I remember going through boxes of his stuff, finding Jeep parts, and wondering why in the heck he thought he needed to keep all this stuff.” 

For years, Brandon had his dream Jeep in mind. 

“He has always loved the color orange. Years before we bought the Jeep we have, he knew he wanted an Orange Crush colored Jeep,” Jaime says. “Soft top and hard top, all the particulars. We looked for years, even traveling out of state to look at Jeeps for sale. We traveled a lot for club soccer, and we would check out the area before we left to make sure we didn’t miss out.” 

Often the couple and their three daughters would spy an orange Jeep on the interstate or in parking lots. 

“After looking for what seemed to be years with no luck, we gave up,” Jaime says. “Then, on June 9, 2018, one day before Brandon’s birthday, Mia and I were driving down Hickman Road in Des Moines to pick up the two older girls after taking their ACT test. Right in front of the dealership on a little perch sat an Orange Crush Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.” 

Jaime did a double take. 

“We had time to spare, so we turned around and went back to look,” she says. “I read the sticker for the details. Crush, check, Rubicon, check, nice wheels and rims, check, soft and hard top, check. I also checked the year and mileage, all seemed good.” 

To Jaime and Mia, the discovery seemed like perfect timing. Brandon’s birthday was the next day and Father’s Day a week away. 

“But what did I know about buying a Jeep,” Jaime asks. “Nothing, although I have purchased all our other vehicles, so why not this one? Brandon doesn’t like to negotiate, so I decided it was up to me.” 

A salesperson came out and answered a few questions. 

“I told her I had to go pick up the other two girls. After a few minutes, she said, ‘Take the Jeep to pick up your girls and see what you think.’ Nice sales pitch there, but I didn’t turn her down.” 

Mia and Jaime hopped into the Jeep and took off. 

“It was so fun. Not a smooth ride like my Suburban, but it was fast,” Jaime says. “Once the four of us were together, we sat in the parking lot and talked things over. Should I buy this without Brandon knowing and really surprise him, or should we invite him to Des Moines?”  

The women in Brandon’s life decided to call him. They told him they had a surprise, but he needed to come to Des Moines. That didn’t win him over, so they told him they found a vehicle but not all the details.

That did the trick, and Brandon drove to meet them. It didn’t take long for the family of five to own the five-passenger 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, Crush.

While the Jeep of Brandon’s dreams was purchased because of him, the three Waddle girls often were in the driver’s seat. 

“The girls drove it all the time,” Jaime says. “It never rested. It’s just a fun vehicle. In the summer, we can take the hard top off so it’s like a convertible, hair blowing in the air. Of course, Brandon doesn’t worry about that since he doesn’t have hair.” 

The Jeep Wrangler and a Chevy Suburban are the only vehicles Brandon and Jaime own. 

“The Jeep isn’t a smooth-rider like our Suburban,” Jaime says. “I like it because it’s smaller and easier to park, but there isn’t a lot of room for packages when you go shopping.”

The three girls each have their own vehicles. Jaelyn is 24 and lives in Ankeny after graduating from Iowa State last May with a landscape architecture degree. She works as a designer for Etch Outdoor Living in Huxley. Ella, 22, has completed her second year of pharmacy school at Drake. She will graduate in May 2027 with a doctor of pharmacy degree. Mia, 19, finished her first year at Iowa State University this spring. Once she graduates from Iowa State, she plans to pursue a doctor of physical therapy degree.

Brandon learned to love Jeeps because of his father, and the Waddle girls did the same.  

“I think the girls all will have Jeeps when they grow up,” Jaime says. “Everywhere they go, they seem to spy Dad’s orange Jeep.” 

Each of the three girls has a story to tell about a time they had the Jeep. Mia was driving when it was backed into in a McDonald’s drive-thru. While out of town with the Jeep, Jaelyn locked the keys inside. Ella got pulled over in Panora for not making a full stop. 

“All in Dad’s jeep that he never got to drive,” Jaime says. “You don’t want to speed or do anything crazy in the Jeep; it stands out.” 

The Waddle Jeep has a black vanity license plate that features the word Vamanos, one of Brandon’s favorite words. Spanish for “let’s go,” Brandon is known to use Vamanos when coaching soccer, around home or on the LPN golf course.

Paul Pitts says the interior and exterior of the Nova were nothing special when he got it, but it’s been through a lot of changes since then.

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Paul and Julie Pitts have lived in their home on Deer Lane on the west side of Lake Panorama since 2021. Their daughter, Valerie, her husband, Dr. Josh Strehle, and their children have had a home at the lake for several years. Valerie encouraged her parents to move from their long-time home in Oskaloosa. 

“We visited them quite often and really loved the area,” Paul Pitts says. “We bought a lot in 2017, but it wasn’t until COVID hit in 2020 that we got serious about building a house. The lot is actually three lots so we had plenty of space.”

One important possession that moved with the couple to Lake Panorama was Paul’s first car. 

It was March 18, 1972. Sixteen-year-old Paul Pitts had been mowing lawns and loading trucks, trying to make enough money to buy a car. He had $1,800 in a savings account at a bank in Oskaloosa, which was enough to purchase the used 1968 Plymouth Fury he was considering. 

But his father had another plan. He went to the bank, withdrew Paul’s savings and took it to the local Chevy dealer, where he put the money down on the purchase of a new 1972 Chevy Nova. Then he took Paul to the dealership to show him his first car.  

“It was sitting on the showroom floor and had 6.5 miles on the odometer,” Pitts says. “I never thought I could afford a brand new car. It cost $2,850. Dad cosigned a bank loan for the rest of the money needed, and I worked to pay off the loan. I was the first and only kid in the Oskaloosa High School that year with a new car.” 

Pitts says the interior and exterior of the 1972 Chevy Nova were nothing special when he got it, but it’s been through a lot of changes since then. 

“In the spring of 1973, I decided to try drag racing at the Eddyville Raceway,” he says. “That was the beginning of 48 years of racing. We won a lot of championships in Eddyville, and, for many years, this was the car to beat.” 

Turning a no-frills 1972 Chevy Nova into a winning race car means there isn’t much of the original car left. The steel hood was replaced with fiberglass. The engine and all related components have been changed many times over the years. 

Pitts describes the current engine, for those who understand such things. 

“It’s a 711 horsepower 427 small block Chevy motor with after-market block heads,” he says. “At one time, it would go from zero to 124 miles per hour in one-eighth of a mile, which is about two blocks.” 

The green car has been repainted twice. The first time was in 1978 when signs of rust appeared. The second paint job was in 2001. Both times Pitts stuck with a similar green as the original color, but the 2001 paint job provided a shinier, more metallic look that has lasted for 23 years. The white vinyl top is the same but has been refurbished. 

The original car had cheap cloth on the seats and vinyl flooring. 

“Early on, I took it to an upholstery shop and had the seats covered in a nice green fabric and carpet added to the floors,” Pitts says. “At that time, the front seat was a bench seat. As safety regulations increased, I had to have a roll bar installed over the back seat, which still was covered with that green upholstery. I decided to switch to bucket seats in the front and was able to have some of that green upholstery from the bench seat transferred to the bucket seats.”

The car came with an AM radio, which Pitts said didn’t take him long to switch out for something better. The car originally was an automatic transmission and still is. 

“I think the dash probably is the only original thing that hasn’t been changed in the last 52 years,” Pitts says. 

Tires and tire rims have been changed more times than Pitts can count. Since he’s no longer racing on a regular basis, he recently switched the rear tires to 16-inch tires that offer a better ride for street use yet still work for racing. 

Paul and Julie’s two sons have their own cars they race at the Eddyville track. Their oldest son, Luke, lives in Urbandale and races a 1967 Corvair. Their other son, Jesse, lives in Oskaloosa and races a 1997 Z28 Camaro. Sometimes they want to race the 1972 Chevy Nova, and Pitts takes it to Eddyville and leaves it for a weekend. 

Paul and Julie have been married 42 years. They both had lengthy careers working at Pella Corporation. Paul retired in 2011 after more than 36 years. Julie retired in August 2023 after 40 years.

The couple had been in their Lake Panorama home for two years when the racing bug bit Paul again. He asked Julie if she would mind if he took the Nova to Eddyville for a day of racing. She agreed, and he and the Nova won seven rounds — and $700.

“We used to travel lots of places to race,” Pitts says. “Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas and Cedar Falls/Waterloo here in Iowa. For many years, we would bring home $6,000 to $8,000 each season.” 

Julie says she enjoyed all those days at race tracks. 

“I grew up in a car family,” she says. “My father collected Corvairs. Paul introduced my two brothers and my brother-in-law to racing. Our kids grew up at the rack track and made friends there. It’s been a good experience for our family. You learn how to lose, and you learn how to win.”  

Sometimes Pitts drives the Nova to a car show but not often. Mostly he likes to take it out for a spin, perhaps pick up a friend to take to lunch. 

Not surprisingly, the Chevy Nova has vanity license plates — 72 Much. 

“I chose the 72 because of the year of the car. And when you say it out loud, you might think maybe the car is too much,” he says. n

But it’s not too much, it’s just right. n

 

Kathy DeLucca’s 2005 Ford Thunderbird boasts a shiny black exterior with an all-black interior that includes leather upholstery.

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

The first Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1955 as a sporty two-seat convertible and was Ford’s response to the popular Chevrolet Corvette. It wasn’t marketed as a sports car but rather as a “personal luxury car.” In its first year, the Thunderbird outsold the Corvette by more than 23 to one.

Production ended in 1997, then resumed in 2002 and continued into 2005. That year marked the 50th anniversary of the Thunderbird and called for a special design. It was unveiled at the Miami Auto Show on Nov. 5, 2004. Just 1,500 of the 50^th anniversary cars were manufactured, which also were the last Ford Thunderbirds ever made. 

Most of those final 1,500 Thunderbirds were snapped up by car enthusiasts who recognized the unique opportunity to own the 50^th anniversary edition. That wasn’t the case with Kathy DeLucca. 

“I was planning to retire soon and wanted to celebrate by purchasing a convertible for myself,” DeLucca says. “I considered both the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird. The Corvette was a little closer to the ground, so I decided on a Thunderbird. In the spring of 2005, I walked into Charles Gabus Ford and saw a black Thunderbird in the showroom. I pointed at it and told the salesman I wanted to buy that car,” she says. 

When DeLucca was a senior in high school, her parents owned a Chevy Impala convertible. 

“It was red with a white top and beige interior,” she says. “My two older sisters were gone from the house, and I was the only child left. My parents let me drive that convertible quite a bit my senior year, and I really enjoyed it.” 

DeLucca’s 2005 Ford Thunderbird boasts a shiny black exterior with an all-black interior that includes leather upholstery. It has a soft black top that opens and folds behind the seats with the push of a button. A hard top covered in canvas sits in the garage. 

“It takes at least three people to lift it and put it on the car,” DeLucca says. “I haven’t done that for several years. I don’t drive it in the winter, so I really don’t need the hard top.” 

DeLucca has one granddaughter, who was born in 2002. 

“It wasn’t long after I got the car, and I was picking her up to bring her to the lake for a visit,” she says. “She wasn’t very old and still needed a car seat. As I was getting it into the passenger seat, she said ‘Grandma, I need to sit in the back.’ I laughed and had to show her my car doesn’t have a back seat.” 

DeLucca and her long-time partner, Larry Bergemann, bought a home at Lake Panorama in 1992. 

“Larry already owned a C lot so he could boat,” DeLucca says. “We were both working in the financial services industry in downtown Des Moines and renting. One day he called to say he had found a place he thought would work for us.” 

They toured the small, one-story home on the east side of the lake. 

“You could definitely tell bachelors lived there,” she says. “It had red shag carpeting and a red bathroom.” 

Despite the poor condition of the house, the couple purchased it and did a major overhaul. They added a full story on top of the existing home, turning the bachelor’s pad into an expansive, well-appointed home with beautiful woodwork and great lake views. 

Bergemann passed away in June 2023. 

“He very seldom drove the Thunderbird and never rode along with me,” DeLucca says. “It’s always been my retirement car, even though I didn’t retire until two years after I bought it.” 

Purchased brand new in 2005, DeLucca’s Thunderbird now has 47,000 miles on the odometer. 

“I only drive it in good weather, probably 300 to 500 miles each year,” she says. “Sometimes I drive it to Des Moines. Usually it’s just around Panora, sometimes to Panorama West for women’s golf league on Tuesday mornings. The trunk is small but just big enough for my golf bag.

“It’s been a good vehicle. I’ve never had any problems with it,” DeLucca says. “One year, mice got under the hood and I had to have some repairs done. I just replaced the battery, and it probably is time to consider new tires.” 

The other car in DeLucca’s garage is a 2017 Lexus 450 Hybrid. While most of her driving happens in the Lexus, she enjoys getting the Thunderbird out on nice days. She gets comments from onlookers sometimes, but so far, no offers to buy. 

“I always thought I might give it to my granddaughter, but it’s really not a very practical car with such a small trunk and only two seats. I suppose, someday, I will sell it but not yet,” she says. “As I get older, it does get harder to get in and out of the driver’s seat.”  

DeLucca will turn 81 years old at her next birthday. That may surprise those who watch her play competitive golf, participate in classes at ReShape Fitness Studio, listen to details of her latest overseas travels, and get in and out of her Thunderbird with ease. n