This 1964 Dodge Dart has fewer than 50,000 miles on it. “It survived 30 years of storage,” said Dawn Schimmoeller, whose father purchased it new.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
OTTAWA – People often have graced their cars with nicknames, some of which became very popular.
There was the General Lee, an orange 1969 Dodge Charger, that pulled off wild stunts in the television series, “The Dukes of Hazzard.” And on the big screen, the 1968 Disney movie, “The Love Bug,” gave us Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle that had a mind of its own.
For Dawn Schimmoeller, of Ottawa, the nickname that stands out for her is “Nelly Belle,” a 1964 Dodge Dart purchased new by her late father, John Ketner of Gilboa.
“I don’t know how he came up with that name, but when it was time to leave from somewhere, he would always call out, ‘Come on, Nelly Belle, it’s time to go,’ ” Schimmoeller said.
Nelly Belle was in storage for 30 years. Schimmoeller took it out of storage a year ago, following her 88-year-old father’s death. The car has less than 50,000 miles on it.
“It has been in the family since the day Dad first brought it home,” Schimmoeller said. “Dad always wanted to keep it as pristine as possible. If it was snowing or raining, he didn’t take it out. A rare occasion came when he twice drove the family to Denver to see relatives.”
Schimmoeller had the car on display during the Bluffton Festival of Wheels in June.
The Dodge Dart was an instant hit when introduced in 1960. It had a 16-year production run.
The 1964 Dart purchased by Ketner came with an all-new compact, lightweight, 273 cubic-inch V8 engine. A 2-barrel carburetor was the top engine item. Like most cars of its era, it had no power steering, so that brought a little challenge.
Dodge reintroduced the Dart in 2013 as a compact model, but it never reached the popularity of the original models and was discontinued in 2016.
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