Steve Plunkett

Pinnacle Collector

Anyone who uses 70 tons of slate, just to top off his third car building, is a real “Car Guy.” That’s what Steve Plunkett decided to do in 2009, when he finished his “Fleetwood Auto Salon” in London, Ontario, Canada. The 7,400-square-foot building was designed as a salute to the glory days of the custom automotive coach builders’ 1930’s salon events, held in New York, Chicago and Paris. To recreate the atmosphere of a 5-star hotel ballroom, the building was fitted with 19 chandeliers, embossed tin ceiling panels, Portuguese ceramic tiles and grand exterior doors dating back to 1917.

The collection includes around 80 cars, mostly General Motors cars, with an emphasis on Cadillac. “No car company on the planet has introduced more firsts in innovation than General Motors,” Steve is fond of saying. Examples of these innovations are the first mass-produced V-8 engine, electric starters, safety glass and On-Star.

Steve’s passion for GM products started with a 1960 Buick Electra 225 Convertible owned by a neighbor. The design and styling of the car caught his eye as a child. The “225” refers to the length of the luxury car, 225 inches. The car also came with an impressive 6.6-liter “Nail Head” V8 with 325 horsepower. He owns a red one.

Steve’s first Cadillac was a 1959 Coupe de Ville, but the car that “started the love affair with Cadillac” was a 1976 Coupe de Ville he bought used and drove for many years as a salesman. He now has one of the largest Cadillac collections in the country.

He keeps his cars in “turnkey” condition, with each car ready to drive or show at a moment’s notice. Many of the cars have gone through full restorations; others are low- mileage, all-original cars. He makes a point to exercise the cars regularly.

Steve opens his collection up to car clubs and charities and hosts many car events on his property in London, Ontario. These events include summer “Cruise Nights” and two annual fundraisers for dog-related charities, “Bark in the Park” and “Palooza.”