Richard Iannucchi loves “Putt-putt”.
It’s not the Mini-Golf, but rather its original 1925 Dodge Coupe that earned it that nickname. “Put-put” is the sound the antique car makes when Iannucchi drives it.
And yes, the horn makes the “ahooga” sound when the horn is pressed.
Iannucchi, 76, retired to Waterloo and Lake Greenwood, Connecticut, with his second wife, Kathleen Heffern, several years ago.
Iannucchi is a member of the Emerald City Chapter of the Antique Car Club of America and active in the local Rock ‘n’ Roll Cruisers Car Club.
Iannucchi has a workshop and garages where he can work on his collector cars — an antique Dodge, a 1928 Packard, a 1931 Chevrolet Coupe, a 1956 Oldsmobile that he restored with his son Joe, a 1961 Mercedes and A 1989 Mercedes whose first owner was baseball player Pete Rose.
In addition to collector cars, Iannucchi has an extensive collection of military memorabilia, with uniforms and more dating from World War II to his time in the Seabees.
“It started over 20 years ago when a former neighbor of mine who served in World War II passed away,” Iannucchi said.
Iannucchi’s car hobby began before he started collecting military memorabilia.
“When I came home from my second tour in Vietnam in 1970, at age 23, I was a little confused, like many other Vietnam veterans,” Iannucci said.
For a time, the deferral allowed Iannucci to stay in school and avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. When the deferral ended, he was drafted into the Army at age 21.
“I happened to see an ad: ‘Construction people needed for the United States Navy Seabees,'” Iannucchi recalled. “I had just finished an apprenticeship as a bricklayer so I went and talked to people. I was not told that I would be posted to Vietnam. I did two tours with the Seabees.”
In all, Iannucchi served 32 years in the United States Navy, with the Seabees, the part of the Navy that builds things like roads, bridges and medical facilities.
When his active duty ended in 1970, Iannucchi re-enlisted in 1978 and served until 2004.
“I happened to find a 1939 Buick after my second tour in Vietnam,” Iannucchi said. “My father was a mechanic and I restored the car. I just got on cars. I’ve worked in construction and driven trucks all my life.”
In April 2022, Iannucchi took his 1925 Dodge to an Antique Automobile Club of America show in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it won an award for historic preservation.
Iannucchi said the simplicity of vintage vehicles is appealing.
“I open the hood of this Dodge and there are 10 or 12 wires,” Iannucchi said. “There really isn’t much that can go wrong. I open the hood of my Chevy Silverado and close it right away.”
In South Carolina, Iannucchi said he has found it more difficult to find restorers for paint, chrome and interiors.
“The Dodge Coupe doesn’t have a fuel pump,” Iannucchi said. “It’s leaking from a vacuum system. Everything is original on this car and works that way, including the engine gauge which is your temperature gauge. When you hit the brake, the tail light comes on and says STOP.
“Somehow the people at the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance heard about this car and the prize for its preservation,” Iannucchi said. “They extended an invitation to me to present it in Lexington, Kentucky (third week of July 2022).
At Keeneland Raceway in Lexington, this high-end car show highlights the maintenance and restoration of antique cars through modern supercars and benefits Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
“This show is the best of the best,” Iannucchi said. “We parked right across from a 1931 Duesenberg that was probably worth a million and a half dollars. For them to invite an original car like mine is very unusual.
“It’s 97 years old,” Iannucchi said. “There are chips in the paint, but in 97 years it still works.”
Heffern said the 1925 Dodge Coupe “runs like a cannon.”
In April 2023, Iannucchi hopes his Dodge can be certified by the Antique Automobile Club of America, furthering its distinction of preserved history and original features.
Adding to the charm of the coupe at Keeneland, the couple dressed in 1920s-inspired fashions for the auto show.
News of the recent devastating floods in Kentucky is difficult, Iannucchi said, reflecting on the state’s beauty during his visit this July.
Persistence pays offIannucchi learned about the 1925 Dodge Coupe about 15 years ago while living in Connecticut. It took him three tries to convince the then owner to sell it to him.
“In 1925, you could buy a 1925 Ford for $350, while this car was $1,035,” Iannucci said. “The Dodge brothers worked for Henry Ford. They wanted to build a car with an all-steel frame, but Ford was against it, still using wood in its frame. The model is one of the first with an all-steel frame.”
Gasoline in 1925 cost about 12 cents a gallon, Iannucchi said.
“$3,000 for that 1925 Dodge is the best I’ve ever spent,” he said. “This is my favorite of all my cars. They were called “doctor’s compartments”. Facing the front of the car, on the left is a rack that can hold a doctor’s bag, for when they were making house calls.
It took Iannucchi and some fellow car enthusiast friends in Connecticut two years of work to get the engine into working shape.
“There are a lot of hot rod and custom car shows here, but not as big of a hobby base for originals,” Iannucchi said. “Do a lot of research before you even think about restoring a car.”
Special oil is needed to lubricate engine parts, and today’s unleaded gasoline needs additives to keep the engine running.
A tool kit came with the coupe when one bought it in 1925. Iannucchi spent 18 years collecting every tool included in the kit. It also has a 1925 Dodge pump for the coupe tires that mounts on the steps.
With all the options at his house for a Sunday drive, Iannucchi said his daily drive-and-haul vehicle is a pickup truck.
“I met a lot of people through my car hobby,” he said.
Contact St. Claire Donaghy on 864-943-2518.