In 1972, Iva Peel purchased a brand-new Plymouth Duster and began her long relationship with the stylish Mopar fastback.
She pampered the car, and the Duster stayed with Ida for the rest of her life.
Iva’s daughter Carolyn became the car’s second owner in 2007 after her mother passed away.
Jim Sutherland
Over the years, the ’72 Duster was moved from its Big Bear, California home to Ohio where it was spared from the ravages of that state’s winters and sheltered from bad weather.
The Duster was eventually moved back west to the state of Washington because Iva’s daughter Carolyn wanted the car close to her home after Iva’s passing.
Carolyn decided to give the car to her son Jared Game to keep it in the family. Jared is a long-serving member of the United States Marine Corps (MEU Sergeant Major) and is only a few years away from retirement when he will have plenty of time to spend with his grandmother’s prized Duster.
Jared recently had the car shipped from Washington to North Carolina so he can assess the family heirloom Duster and get behind the wheel of the legacy car on a regular basis.
As mentioned earlier, Grandmother Iva did not want to share the Duster’s captain’s chair with others, so Jared has only driven the car once, but he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Jared’s mother Carolyn (an accomplished female driver who won several hundred races during her track career) did not even spend any significant time driving the Duster: “It was never my car…it was, and always will be, Mother’s car, just looking at it I can hear Mother saying how much she loves her little Duster”.
The Duster is a stylish reflection of the early 1970s, complete with a half vinyl roof and a reliable 318 V-8 coupled to a 3-speed automatic transmission. The car also left the factory with power steering and power brakes to enhance its overall comfort level for drivers.
Jared was pleased with the powertrain combination during his only test drive up to this point and described the brief experience: “It was quick, surprised by the get-up-and-go. It was exciting to feel the rev of the engine, it was a real throwback to riding in it as a kid, was a real treat to be driving it”.
The future of the 1972 Plymouth Duster is secure because Jared has no intentions of selling it or changing it from its factory build. The car is filled with family memories started by Grandmother Iva when she became its first owner and subsequently kept a strong maintenance record over several decades.
The Duster is a remarkable reflection of Iva’s high standards for the car, none of which was lost on her daughter Carolyn and grandson Jared. One can correctly assume the 1972 Plymouth Duster will continue to enjoy a pampered life under Jared’s watch in the future.
Even better, the car will stay in the family for “another 53 years”, in Jared’s words.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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