Crossing the USA 2023 - Steve Plunkett's Collection - Ep 7: Classic Restos - Series 54
Fletch travels across the USA-Canada border into Ontario, Canada, to visit a large private Cadillac Collection owned by enthusiast Steve Plunkett. This is no ordinary collection; it is situated on 105 acres with four homes and a 10,000-square-foot garage. The collection includes 50 Cadillacs, 14 Buicks and 2 Corvettes. The rarest and most collectible cars are kept in the stunning grand entrance hall of the main residence. Here, Fletch gets the inside story of some of these beautiful cars.
First is a 1956 Buick that Fletch discovers he drove ten years ago on his last visit, but then it was just a chassis, wheels, with a plywood fly wall and a V8 motor. Today, it is a fully restored 1956 Buick Century Convertible with 225 Factory modifications not included on the standard Cadillacs. These futuristic mods included 8-position power-operated swivel bucket seats, headrests, a Corvette tachometer, ground effect door lighting, and features not seen until decades later. The car is magnificently presented throughout and proudly displayed in the home's main foyer.
Next, Fletch sees something unexpected, a 1949 Cadillac Woody Wagon, one of only two ever manufactured. It was built for MGM Studios and used to transport MGM actors to their various locations. A picture included with the car features the many stars who rode in the vehicle, including one very important canine star 'Lassie'. Unfortunately, the car was written off in an accident before being restored.
Another very special car in the collection is 'The Duchess', a 1941 custom-built Cadillac with a 346 V8 engine, styled by Harley Earl & Bill Mitchell for King Edward after his abdication as the King of England when he took up residence in New York with the twice-divorced American Wallace Simpson. The Duchess was a one-off, not sharing a single panel with any other Cadillac model and with a host of unique features, including a ventilation/ climate control system, power windows, automatic transmission that was new technology at the time, radio in both front and rear, four jewellery boxes and even a humidifier for Edward, a prolific pipe smoker. The previous owner spent US$400,000 completely restoring this one-off vehicle. It now takes pride of place in the main residence at Steve's home. This one has a story to tell.
In another stable, Fletch finds other cars in Steve Plunkett's collection, including a 1978 2-Door Eldorado prototype featuring a Power T-Top roof that never saw production and a 1958 Fleetwood limousine that is scheduled for a new paint job.
Fletch asks Steve whether he prefers restoration or maintaining vehicles in their original condition. Steve responds that it depends on the car, as he likes maintaining its originality if it is running well and in good condition. He says, "They are only original once". Overall, he likes rare and collectable cars, particularly those with a story, and he certainly has a few of those.
