Jon and Terri Kachel’s 1970 muscle cars: a rare winged Plymouth Superbird and a Plum Crazy Purple Dodge Challenger. [Wall Street Journal photo *Steven Piper*]

Editor’s note: Below are some highlights of an article regarding Whitewater residents Jon and Terri Kachel that appeared in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on page A11 on Monday, July 1, 2024. The print article may be seen in the Irvin L. Young Library’s copy of that WSJ, which may be obtained at the circulation desk. The online version, with more copy and photos than the print version, may be found here. The article, written by A.J. Baime, is part of his weekly series titled “My Ride.” The Banner appreciates that Mark Dorn tipped us off to the article.

A Secret to Their Happy Marriage: His and Hers 1970 Muscle Cars

“Jon [Kachel]: I was still in high school in Whitewater when I bought a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Terri was my girlfriend…. We lived the lives of kids with muscle cars.

Terri [Kachel]: It was like the movie “American Graffiti.” We would cruise with our friends…

Jon: The Plymouth Superbird was a special version of the Road Runner, with a wing on the back. The Superbird was only made one model year, 1970, and it didn’t sell well. But when Richard Petty started winning races in the Superbird, people noticed. Petty topped 200 miles per hour in a Superbird that year….

Terri: Jon and I got married on June 12, 1976…Over the years, we worked pretty hard. We raised three kids. In 2017, Jon decided to pursue this thing he had loved all his life..

Jon: Chrysler only built about 1,940 Plymouth Superbirds. I found one in 2017 and bought it from a car collector….I took off the glove box door and sent it to Richard Petty. He autographed it and sent it back.

Terri: This car is in gorgeous condition. But it’s almost 19 feet long. It was a lot more than I could handle. I always loved Dodge Challengers, so soon after Jon bought his Superbird, I started shopping around….I found one…..The color is Plum Crazy Purple.

Jon: In Wisconsin in the summer, you can go to a car show twice a week and not have to drive more than 40 miles….As rare as Plymouth Superbirds are, one of the only clubs in existence is based in Wisconsin. I went to one club meeting in 2022 and I remember seeing 13 Superbirds there.

Terri: Jon calls his passion a hobby…It’s more of an obsession….We grew up in southern Wisconsin loving muscle cars. We still live in southern Wisconsin and we still love muscle cars.”