Chris and Jaimie Wadle and their children, Norah and Crosby, are shown with the family’s 1966 Chevelle.
Chris and Jaimie Wadle own a 1963 Corvair and a 1966 Chevelle.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
The fact Chris Wadle has two classic Chevrolets in his Lake Panorama garage is a nod to his childhood.
“My parents were into classic cars,” Wadle said. “Specifically, my dad has always loved Chevrolet Chevelles.”
The Chris and Jaimie Wadle family moved to a home on the west side of Lake Panorama in July 2020. Chris Wadle grew up in Van Meter, and Jaimie grew up in Perry. As adults, they both moved to Arizona for job opportunities, where they met in 2007 through a mutual friend. The couple now has two children, Crosby and Norah.
“We have been together for 19 years and married for 12,” Wadle said. “As our kids were getting to school age, we decided we wanted to move closer to family and for them to grow up in a smaller community and school. That’s when we made the move to Lake Panorama.”
The Wadles own a 1963 Corvair and a 1966 Chevelle.
Corvairs were manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1960 through 1969, in response to the increasing popularity of small, fuel-efficient automobiles.
“I am fond of Corvairs due to their style and history,” Wadle said. “These are the only rear-engine, air-cooled, flat-six engine cars mass produced in America. Shortly after we moved to Panora, I came across one for sale in Story City and couldn’t pass it up. Cosmetically, it is the same now as it was when I bought it.”
The Wadle 1963 Corvair Monza 900 has a four-speed manual transmission and is cardinal red with a black interior.
Wadle added new brakes, started some suspension work and has done a few other minor mechanical repairs over the last few years. The odometer currently sits at about 90,000 miles.
“In the mid-1960s, Ralph Nader highlighted the Corvair in his book ‘Unsafe at Any Speed.’ That led to a very interesting story of lawsuits and espionage, as well as a sharp decline in sales that led to the Corvair’s discontinuation in 1969,” Wadle said.
Wadle’s second classic car is a 1966 Chevelle. The mid-sized Chevelle was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1964 to 1977.
“My dad originally bought the Chevelle in 1984,” Wadle said. “As a kid, I used to sneak into the garage to pretend I was driving it. The car eventually ended up sitting for about 25 years until we decided to get it back on the road around 2020.”
The Wadle 1966 Chevelle Super Sport has a 396 big-block engine and four-speed manual transmission. The exterior color is artesian turquoise with a fawn interior.
“Dad and I pulled the motor and transmission, had them rebuilt and reassembled the car here in our garage in Panora,” Wadle said. “Then Dad passed ownership of the car to me. We put in a new brake system, replaced the gas tank and did some other minor mechanical repairs. We also did a partial refresh of the interior with improvements to the dash and carpet.”
The Chevelle has about 95,000 miles on it, with 2,000 of those driven since the rebuild.
Wadle drives both cars on a regular basis.
“They keep me busy with things that need fixed constantly,” he said. “As soon as I fix a problem with one, something always seems to go wrong with the other. I do take the cars to shows occasionally. Both are solid drivers and mostly rust free but rough around the edges. I would like to get both to a more fully mechanically restored state, interiors redone and fresh paint.”
Wadle said he gets a lot of enjoyment out of the two cars.
“I enjoy working on them, especially with my dad and my kids, and keeping them on the road,” he said. “They are fun to drive. It’s always fun to have conversations with other people who are into classic cars.”
Wadle didn’t hesitate when asked if he would like to add to his classic car collection.
“There are hundreds of other cars I’d love to own someday,” he said. “My dream car is a 1963 split-window Corvette Sting Ray coupe. I am a huge fan of cars produced in the 1950s and early 1960s. I think cars from that era are still some of the best-looking cars ever made, and they are so fun to drive.”
The Wadle 1966 Chevelle Super Sport has a 396 big-block engine and four-speed manual transmission.
The 1963 Corvair Monza 900 Chris Wadle owns features a rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-six engine.
The Wadles’ 1963 Corvair is shown parked on Main Street in Panora. The car is cardinal red with a black interior.
Chris Wadle and his father, Morris, on the day they moved the 1966 Chevelle Morris owned from West Des Moines to Panora.