FLEETWOOD COUNTRY CRUISE-IN ( Jun. 6-7, 2007 )
By: Wayne Ellwood

The Fleetwood Country Cruize-In has become one of Ontario’s most talked-about shows. It’s definitely a “must see” event for anyone within a day’s travel. And, with each passing year, the event just gets better. 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. Naturally, there is also a legion of volunteers who come to help the event run smoothly.

For the third year in a row, George Barris was the top-billed car celebrity. This year’s theme was the Batmobile collection. On site were the Batmobile, the Bat Motorcycle and the Bat Helicopter. Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin) were scheduled but Burt Ward cancelled .Julie Newmar, the third Cat Woman, took Robin’s place and filled-in nicely. Still feline in appearance and behaviour, she really enjoyed the adulation. The “bats” arrived by helicopter around noon on Saturday and, as the helicopter touched down, the Batmobile was driven onto the field for a simulated drive-off. Finally, there were a number of individual owners of Barris-designed cars who made the trip just to have their cars placed on display in the feature car section.

I just had to ask George a few questions. So, just before he was swamped with autograph hounds, I asked him which car he would use as a platform for a modern Batmobile? George’s answer was a bit surprising. I was expecting, maybe, a Panoz. After all, it looks pretty swoopy right from the factory. But that wasn’t George’s choice. George chose the new Ford Flex. According to him, it’s a real wild looking car. In fact, he’s building a new Flex Ford for a TV show called “The Girls Next Door” for Playboy and Hugh Hefner. It will be stretch car, obviously. George went on to offer a verbal visual… “As I see it, the doors will open and the girls will come out and they’ll all flex…”.

The other main feature vehicle was the GM “Parade of Progress” display vehicle which was sold last year at the Barrett-Jackson Auction for just over four million dollars (after auction fees are added). Guests were allowed to go up to the driver’s compartment while a full complement of staffers provided historical facts and figures to the crowds.

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, 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.

For display purposes, the rest of the grounds and the golf course are divided into theme areas. Traditionally, the Southern Ontario Thunderbird Club can be found on the golf course, The National Oldsmobile Club is located behind the landscape park, local dealer Jaguar/Land Rover/BMW new car displays are grouped around the waterfall and bridge, hot rods, street rods and customs are grouped around the pond, trucks are located on a small ridge near the back side of the property, and so on. Other feature cars tend to be dispersed throughout the crowd but are always parked on unique sites which provide for good viewing by the public.

On a personal level, Steve Plunkett is a Cadillac collector. Hence the name of the event…Fleetwood Country. In addition to the main collection, there was no shortage of prime Cadillacs dispersed amongst the other cars on the show fields. Of course, the main garage was also open for public viewing.

Finally, on the subject of entertainment, Friday night’s invitational featured Little Anthony and the Imperials. Saturday’s dinner-dance featured Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, backed-up by a ten piece band. The cover band “Spirit” from London warmed-up the crowd with 50s and 60s features.

If you’re interested in viewing more photos from this year’s event, or prior year’s events, visit Steve Plunkett’s web site at www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com