FLEETWOOD COUNTRY CRUISE-IN ( Jun. 8-10, 2007 )
By: Wayne Ellwood

Canadian Classics has reviewed the Fleetwood Country Cruise-In previously but this event is growing so fast that it has become a “must see” event. Of course, with each passing year the event is also improving; we predict that, in a few years, this event will become the Canadian version of Pebble Beach.

A great deal of the credit for this event goes to Steve Plunkett, who is the host. Steve funds the event and all proceeds go to local charities. Now, I mean all proceeds, not just after tax proceeds. Naturally, there is also a legion of volunteers who come to help the event run smoothly. And, this year, the parking problems were resolved when many of the neighbours offer their fields for parking, with the proceeds also going to charity.

For the second year in a row, George Barris was the top-billed car celebrity. Last year, he presented a series of movie cars. This year it was another series of customs which, if anything, followed a “30s” theme. Also on display at the main house was an aluminum bodied Model T rod, conceived and built by Don Franks and WJ McBerney. Don was also on hand to make sure the car stayed pristine and polished. The final big name custom was a 1953 Kaiser Henry J which, in its day, had been modified over a six year period by the Holynski family of Lackawanna (NY), to the present condition.

Of course, it’s hard to bring this many people to one location without some additional form of entertainment. To this end, there was a full time DJ, air show, steam vehicle exhibitions, food court and vendor area. The “working steam” exhibit was a highlight. It’s amazing to see these older technologies at work. For example, before the application of hydraulics to dump trunks, the release mechanism was “gravity-based”…the pivot point for the dumping bed is arranged such that the load is biased to the rear. Release the handle and…clang…it dumps. The big job is wrestling the bed back down.

On a personal level, Steve Plunkett is a Cadillac collector. Hence the name of the event…Fleetwood Country. In addition to the main collection housed in his “barn”, Steve dispersed several of his Cadillacs, amongst the other cars on display. Of course, the main garage was also open for public viewing.

The number of rods, customs and street cars was truly impressive. Two very special custom cars that caught my eye were a 1957 Chevy Belair and a 1941 Plymouth convertible.

The 1957 Chevy had originally been customized in 1961 by the Alexander Brothers with Crazy Paint by Paul Hatton and now, thirty years later, it has been refreshed by Brian Hatton. The car is currently owned by: Dave Jenkins, of Detroit (MI andit features every single feature that was considered hip, in the day. The engine has as many chromed pieces as possible, including an Offenhauser intake and 3x2 carburetion. Lake pipes, skirts, twin frenched antennas, spot lights, chrome reversed wheels, white leather interior, brushed and polished stainless in the side inserts…it’s all there. The car is entitled “Jewel”

The 1941 Plymouth convertible is owned by: Ron Black of London (ON). Ron told me that, in 1941, there were 1231 Convertibles built in the US and 41 sold into Canada. This compares with the 3700 built in pre-war (1937) period. When Ron found the car it was a basket case. He got the main body, frame and doors. He had to find all the other parts. The front of the car has independent tri-link suspension with air ride to adjust the ride height. It has a 360 cu in engine. The body has been smoothed and painted in “celery” (creamy yellow) with complementary black. The car drives well and has been as far as South Carolina. It will be covered in an upcoming issue of Hot Rod magazine.

Every time you turned a corner at this show, something new would pop into view. Trucks, for example. Of course I knew that there was a fairly large group of people who enjoy restoring the old trucks but this was quite a surprise. The Labatt’s “aero” body from the 1930s was spectacular. So was the series of tanker trucks, but can you imagine turning a 1938 gasoline tanker into a street rod? Well, apparently, some people can.

There are two reasons why it takes a full day just to walk around the car show. The first is the fairly obvious fact that there are so many cars to see. The other reason is the quality of the cars. You can’t just walk past these treasures and give some passing comment. These cars merit your attention. They demand you appreciation. A super example of this were the several cars presented by RM Restorations, of Chatham (ON). Of these, the 1939 Isotta Fraschitti and the 1937-39 Type 59 Bugatti had to be the cream.

Wrapping-up, with only a mere fraction of the cars covered, let me recommend this show to you. If yo can get to the London area, you’ll never regret taking the time for this one. You can also visit Steve’s web site at www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com to see more photos from the event.