charities and raised over $1.7 million. “Taking a passion that I love and creating an event that benefits so many people has been a blessing,” says Steve. The event attracted thousands of people and cars from across North America. When not at home on his estate on the outskirts of Byron, Steve tours invitational car events and shows across North America, showcasing his classic cars.
Looking for a New Shed this Winter? For 15 years, Steve Plunkett turned his love of cars into the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In, an event that supported local Beginning in the mid 1970s, someone saw past the car’s sad state and purchased it. It changed hands a few times over the following decade and a half. The first few owners didn’t work on it before passing it on. Five Sacramento men bought it in the 1980s. They added Mahogany panels, metal framing from a donor car, and painted it red instead of its original black. However, four of the partners lost interest and stopped funding the project leaving the fifth with no option but to sell. A collector purchased the vehicle in the late 1980s and finished restoring the body, completed an overhaul of the V-8 engine and rebuilt the transmission. It’s believed to be the only survivor of MGM’s original six. 1949 Cadillac Woody MGM Studios Limo Nothing was too good for movie stars in Hollywood’s golden age of movies. Favourite silver screen performers of the time included Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Elizabeth Taylor. In its previous life, one of Steve Plunkett’s legendary Fleetwoods chauffeured those legends and many other to and from movie sets. “I love cars with a story,” Steve says. “I have many with an interesting history often related to famous people.” The 1949 Cadillac Woody MGM Studios Limo was among the last series of coach-built cars by Fleetwood. Between 1947-’49, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) ordered six of the Series 75 cars that Cadillac called “Imperial sedans.” This particular vehicle entered the marketplace when MGM purchased it from Hillcrest Cadillac in Beverly Hills. It’s one of two that were customized and given wood-framed bodies by legendary Austrian Maurice Schwartz of Los Angeles for MGM. Mr. Schwartz altered the car’s contours, embedded real wood on the outside and turned the vehicle into a showpiece. The luxurious interior featured soft Bedford cord upholstery. The seven-passenger limo was long and roomy, with a 136-inch (11.3 foot) wheelbase. One day in the 1950s, the driver missed a turn and rolled the car on a winding road heading into Big Bear Lake, California. It was totaled. It sat at a wrecker’s yard in San Bernadino for many years and seemed destined for the crusher. Its doors had been removed and it was being used as a guard dog kennel.
Let us make the Custom Made, Locally Built Shed Your Back Yard Deserves! Hand Crafted – Custom Built Mini Barns • Work Sheds • Play Houses Pool Change Rooms
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KKD Villager Jan/Feb 2025
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