Steve Plunkett
It all started when a wealthy car nut invited a few fellow hobbyists around to the house to show off their cars.
It grew. This Saturday, more than 12,000 people, along with more than 3,000 classic cars, will be stomping through Steve Plunkett's ample back yard near London, Ont., for the 2009 edition of Fleetwood Country Cruize In.
Plunkett is a likeable ex-travelling salesman whose late father was a well-known physician who co-invented the world's most-prescribed hormone replacement therapy.
It would appear the royalty stream from said invention is a healthy one. To house just part of his Cadillac collection - the ones from the 1930s - Plunkett has a crew of tradesmen frantically working to finish his "Fleetwood Salon" in time for this weekend's show.
The salon is a massive stone coach house. To give you some idea of the size and style of the place, 70 tons of slate are required to cover the elegant roof.
Plunkett's favourite car is obviously Cadillac; he has 46 of them - all rare and exotic models, preferably once owned by celebrities.
He has a Johnny Cash Fleetwood and a Bob Hope Eldorado. The salon has been built to display his collection from the 1930s in a style "worthy" of them.
It's interesting that in the week in which GM declares bankruptcy, Steve Plunkett will draw thousands to adore GM's once world-leading luxury brand.
Vaughan: Steve, this is some garage.
Plunkett: Well, it's to create the feeling of the Waldorf Astoria ballroom with the chandeliers, the oak panelling, the pressed-tin ceiling.
In the 1930s, Cadillac would introduce its new models to New York right there. I think that's how these cars should be presented.
I think it's as big as the Waldorf.
It's 14,500 square feet, with 7,800 square feet on the ground floor.
I think I'll put about 12 or 13 cars in here.
You don't want to jam them in - it's not storage space after all. Now why Caddies?
The love of Cadillacs came totally by accident.
I was a salesman on the road and I had to get a new car. I got a used 1976 Coupe de Ville and I drove it for about 300,000 miles.
We had this farm in London and I used the Cadillac to stretch fence and tow horse trailers and hay wagons and that started the love affair for Cadillacs.
But now you appear to be specializing.
Yes. I like the antique Cadillacs from the thirties.
I had no intention of getting into that era at all. Now I have six V-16s and a V-12 from the thirties.
That's my favourite era. That's what I enjoy.
It's an acquired taste - it's fun to take something unique to Cruise Night.
The Thirties was a good time for Caddie. They were very advanced for their day.
In my opinion, there is no car company in the world that has brought to the industry more technology and innovation than General Motors.
And a lot of that technology was introduced through Cadillac. Things like safety glass in 1927, a thermostatically controlled choke, retractable seat belts.
Cadillacs had air bags in 1974 called air cushion restraint. Nobody wanted it, so they dropped the option.
Now let's talk about this event.
This is a perfect spot for an upscale Concours car show.
I bring cars in from all over North America every year - cars that Canadians would never normally see.
Twenty-one hundred classic cars came last year. That was the largest outdoor car show in Canada ever.
We had 2,000 people for a sit-down dinner in the largest pole tent in Canada. It's four storeys tall - 300 feet long, 100 feet wide.
We parked more than 2,000 spectator cars in two farm fields in walking distance.
This year, there's more room. We rehabilitated a gravel pit - in the new field, we're going to have 1,000 Mustangs.
There's a big pond - we're going to have Amphicars on the pond.
The event raises money for health sciences charities to keep my father's legacy alive. Last year's Cruize In raised $184,000.
Back to your collection for a moment. This has to be one of the largest and best Cadillac collections anywhere.
There are two or three larger ones in the United States.
I've heard that there's an Arab sheik who has more - 300 Cadillacs.
For more information, go to www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com .
Michael Vaughan is co-host with Jeremy Cato of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.