Son reunites his dad with beloved classic race car

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    FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — Carmen Dellutri’s earliest childhood memories were driven by cars.

“I started pumping gas for people at 4 years old,” said Dellutri.

His dad, Joe Dellutri, lived his life in the fast lane.

“He was a quarter-mile racer. He was number three in the country,” said Carmen.

As a professional race car driver from the early 1960s to 70s, Joe drove what became like his partner in crime, his racecar, “The Brief Encounter.”

“Don’t touch it,” said Carmen. “Those were the rules, you see it, but don’t touch it! No one knew what happened to it. I never asked.”

While Carmen didn’t ask many questions, someone did.

Nearly 50 years later, car enthusiast Bob Easton of Maryland spotted the car at a drag strip.

“Even the old station wagon that your parents may have driven you to the grocery store in…it tells a story,” said Bob. “Fish gails, cobwebbing, pinstripe, the car had it all. The car had no names on it.”

Bob bought the car and, after months of research, found the car had once belonged to Joe Dellutri.

Bob got in contact with Carmen. Once Carmen saw the car, he knew it had belonged to his dad.

“Literally, I was like, Oh my God! This is the car. There’s no mistaking the paint job,” said Carmen.

Carmen and Bob teamed up to reunite Joe with his favorite racecar one afternoon after the Dellutri’s flew to Maryland for a family trip.

“That day, I saw emotion,” Carmen said of his dad. “It was an amazing day. An amazing day.”

While not much shocks Joe, who is now in his 90s, this did.

When asked how it drives today, Joe said, “Like a race car.”

While Joe is retired from race car driving, his role as a father remains a lifelong race.

“He’s beyond amazing. Beyond,” said Joe. “Thanks, Pop,” said Carmen.

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