DOZENS OF AUTHENTIC AND TRIBUTE
GENERAL LEE CHARGERS
EXPECTED AT FLEETWOOD CAR SHOW
JUNE 3RD AND 4TH
Excitement is building for this weekend's Fleetwood Country Cruize-In car show in London Ontario.
There has been a lot of buzz on social media about the show this year, and that's largely because of the celebrities and attractions the show will be featuring.
This year the event will celebrate 50-years of Cougars, Camaros, and Firebirds. That's right it was 1967 when those three name plates began rolling off assembly lines, and over the past half century those cars have become an integral part of car Kulture.
Steve Plunkett is known as the Cadillac of car show hosts, and for good reason. This year he will again open the doors of his amazing Auto Salon to the public, and share his collection of Cadillacs with tens of thousands of visitors. His Cadillac collection spans the generations and is considered one of the absolute finest in the world.
The show is expected to attract thousands of collectible cars and automotive enthusiasts and tens of thousands of spectators. Every year they gather at the Plunkett Estate at 9282 Elviage Drive and take over the golf course and the grounds behind Steve Plunkett's home which he generously shares with the people who attend.
"I've been a car buff since I was a baby," explained Steve in a recent interview. "By accident the car hobby has morphed into the car show. The very first event was an event where I had 60 cars and two cases of Coke and his evolved into a huge event, and they come from seven states and seven provinces that I know of."
Over the years the Fleetwood Country Cruize In has grown into the largest outdoor car show in Canada, and along the way it has generated 1.4-million-dollars in donations for area charities.
This year's celebrities include some "Dukes of Hazzard Cast Members, including Rick Hurts, Sonny Shroyer, Don Pedro Colley, and General Lee Mechanic Tom Sarmento. Custom Car building legend Gene Winfield who is famous for designing and creating countless movie cars will be there too, along with Miss Hurst Olds Shifter - Linda Vaughn who made a big name for herself on racing circuits back in the 1960's and is still a big draw at car show across North America.
"Steve has really stepped things up this year," said "Dukes of Hazzard" head mechanic Tom Sarmento, who also says estimates of two-thousand-show cars are extremely low. "More like five thousand cars will be there," said Sarmento.
FLEETWOOD COUNTRY CRUIZE IN
HOSTED BY:
STEVE PLUNKETT
In fact it has become difficult to get an accurate count on the cars because the show field has become so large that in recent years they have started to fill an additional grassed area at the rear of the estate.
Two years ago "Dukes of Hazzard" cast members including Tom Wopat and John Schneider attended the event and it was one of the biggest shows ever rivaling the year that Adam West ( Batman ) and other key figures from the 60's Batman television series arrived in a "Batcopter" and rode down the main driveway in an authentic Batmobile, with Steve Plunkett in the passenger seat, and Batmobile Designer George Barris behind the wheel.
Barris who created many movie cars and was a Hollywood celebrity in his own right, was a regular at the Fleetwood show but passed away a year ago. Now there is an annual George Barris award which is presented to a deserving customized vehicle at the show every year.
It's the cars that are the real stars at the Fleetwood event every year though. This year the "Dukes of Hazzard" theme is generating intense interest among "Dukes" fans from across Canada and the United States. Dozens of authentic and tribute - movie and TV General Lee chargers are expected to fill a section of the show field on Saturday and Sunday.
Special parking for spectators has been arranged on the properties surrounding the Plunkett Estate and shuttle buses will be available to carry visitors to the entrance.
More information on the show can be found at www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com
