KC Cadillac Club Saddened by Death of Carl Svahnberg

Raytown, Missouri – Carl Svahnberg 86, was born January 20, 1938 in KC MO to Axel and Margaret Svahnberg. As a classic car enthusiast, he was a member of the Cadillac Club of KC, and a member of and contributor to the Raytown Historical Society. He leaves two daughters, 3 grandchildren, 2 bonus grandchildren, and wife/ex-wife beloved Annie. Carl will be warmly remembered by his fellow Cadillac Club members for his easy-going style and devotion to the club and its members.

Louis Bosso Dies March 30, 2024

Long time KC Cadillac Club Member Louis Bosso passed away March 30, 2024 at home in Lee’s Summit, MO at the age of 94.

Louis married Marilyn Barron in 1952. He joined the Coast Guard shortly afterwards where he was a pilot involved with search and rescue. He was active duty followed by the reserves for a 24-year career, reaching the rank of Commander. After service he went to work at Ralston Purina in Kansas City. He then worked for St. Mary’s Hospital in Kansas City, was a professor of business at Central Missouri State and ended his career at the U.S. General Services Administration in Kansas City.

Lou loved planes, trains, and automobiles He restored a 1930 Model A Ford and a 1939 Cadillac. He was a 50 year member of the Heart of America Model A Ford Club and longtime member of the Cadillac Club of Kansas City.

He is survived by wife Marylin of 71 years and their three children

New Relationship With Cable Dahmer Cadillac Announced

Members at May’s Membership Meeting welcomed Mark Siettmann, sales consultant with Cable Dahmer Cadillac who would like to re-establish a relationship with the Club. Mark has several ideas to promote the Club and the dealership including a possible all-Cadillac car show in October at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence. Mark explained the dealership’s marketing team would help advertise the event, and that any Cadillac owner would be welcome.

In addition, Club Members were initially invited to have a their Caddy’s photographed in front of the dealership Sunday June 30th, but construction equipment on the property made the photo shoot impossible. However, if you would like to have Mark perform a personal photo shoot for your car, (for a fee), contact him at msiettmann@cabledahmer.com.

Cadillac et les 24 Heures du Mans

Not your father’s Cadillac

DETROIT — Cadillac returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 15-16 2024 with three Cadillac V-Series.R hybrid race cars. The endurance race saw two of the entrants drop out due to crashes and mechanical failures, but one car finished the race and achieved an overall 7th place.

It is the second consecutive year that Cadillac Racing has received three invitations from event organizer Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to compete in the classic endurance race.

• The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R received an automatic entry based on its full-season participation in the WEC. Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Alex Palou were the drivers.
• The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, where it races as the No. 01. Sébastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon were the drivers.
• The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the GTP class, where it races as the No. 31. IMSA GTP champion Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken piloted this car.

McPherson College to Receive Record-Setting Donation of $500 Million

McPherson College, a private, Kansas liberal arts college with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students, announced it had received a commitment of up to $500 million from an anonymous donor. The donation will, no doubt, keep the doors of the Auto Restoration Program open for a long time to come.

The gift comes in an unusual form — it’s a gift in which the donor will contribute two dollars for every dollar given by others, up to a total of $500 million for the college’s endowment. Both estate gift commitments and outright gifts to the college’s endowment qualify for the match.

McPherson has until June 30, 2023 to meet that goal, and says that it has raised $130 million so far.

According to the terms of the gift, the anonymous donor can elect to pay the match over time, or the total is due in full at the time of the donor’s death. If McPherson is successful in raising $250 million, the donor’s match of $500 million would result in a total of $750 million for McPherson College’s endowment.

Describing the gift, McPherson College President Michael Schneider said “This is an unprecedented show of support not just for McPherson College but also for America’s small, liberal arts colleges. I am indescribably grateful to our anonymous donor for giving McPherson College the resources to implement our expansive strategic plan and truly create the student-first campus of the future. We must reimagine the campus, just like we’ve reimagined the workplace in the last two years, and do it without burdening our students with more debt. I am also grateful to our faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, and my cabinet, whose encouragement and guidance are a source of inspiration.”

Club Welcomes New Board, Thanks Retiring Officers

Members, you will be pleased to learn veteran Club Member Guy Teel was nomiated and selected by vote to become our new club president. Accepting the role of vice president was Randall Penn, who was formerly secretary. Paul Williamson will stay in his role as treasurer. No selection was made for secretary. Lynn Keegan is filling in, but that position remains open. The election of officers was by voice vote January 23rd during our holiday party.

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Previous Board to Remain Active

Many thanks to Steve Christensen and Doug Redman for their service to the club. Obviously their terms far exceeded their initial commitment to the office. This was due, first, to the GN2020, then the Covid pandemic. We appreciate the time and talent they spent on behalf of the club. Their leadership is a model for future board members.

From Steve Christensen:

I spoke with the new officers and they have made several suggestions on possible changes to our meetings, meeting place, speakers, presentations, etc.. so it should be an exciting upcoming year for the club.  

It has been an honor to serve as President/Director of the Missouri Valley Region of the CLC for the past several years and I look forward to continuing to attend meetings and ogle the lovely Caddys that show up.  Please contact the new officers if you have questions and send your local dues payments to Paul Williamson, 4525 NW Baltimore Dr., KCMO  64116.

Thanks, and I hope to see you at upcoming meetings and events.

Steve Christensen

Visit our New Page: Members Media

Hey, just because we haven’t had many meetings doesn’t mean our Club Members haven’t been busy. Check out this new page dedicated to the content producers among us. You’ll love Norm’s video produced by family friend Nadine Lee. There will be more to come as editing progresses.

Mecum Returns to KC Dec. 5–7, 2024

Looking for that special vehicle you can’t find locally? Or maybe you need to thin the herd. In either case you’ll have an opportunity to view the cars at Mecum’s 2024 auction this December at Bartle Hall. Remember, CLC members receive a 50% discount on Standard Bidder and Annual Bidder registration fees at all Mecum Auctions. Check the CLC website at www.cadillaclasalleclub.org for the 2024 promotional code and details

Visit the GM Heritage Center

Have a little extra time on your hands? Visit the GM Heritage Center–virtually, of course. Here you will be able to access your car’s Information Kit. The Kit is a huge PDF file you can view or download that contains all sorts of technical info about your particular GM car. Many Kits contain facsimiles of your owner’s manual, and other important documents…

Download My Vehicle Information Kit Now!

Can’t Drive it? Store it!

All dressed up but no place to go? Well, don’t leave that classic Cad out in the cold. You can store your vehicle at the KC Automotive Museum’s new indoor storage facility located just south of downtown Kansas City. Prices begin at $100 per month. So free up some garage space while gaining easy and secure access to your beauty. Click on the link below for complete information.

Inside Storage, Now!

Caddy Queen Marsha Redman Receives Club’s Top Honor

Congratulations to CLC Vice President for National Activities Marsha Redman who scooped up this year’s Henry M. Leland Award–the Club’s most prestigious award. Marsha joined the National Meets and Tours Committee in 2008, and was selected VP in 2011. Since then she has devoted her energies into organizing our National Driving Tours and Grand National events. We all know what organizing skill and sticktoitiveness it takes to put on a national event, but Marsha makes it look easy. Our Club is lucky to be the beneficiary of her tireless work. Marsha finds herself in good company. Past Leland Award winners include Roy Schneider, Joe Gildea, Yann Saunders and St. Louis’ Terry Wenger.

2021 Escalade Diesel?

Oh, yeah, Cadillac has a lot of nerve dropping a diesel engine into their flagship vehicle after its last go around with oil burners. This time it’s a 3.0-liter, 6-cylinder engine which Cadillac will share with Suburbans and pick up trucks. A $2500 premium gets you an all-aluminum in-line engine developing about 220 horsepower, returning 28 mpg. Why anyone at Caddy HQ thinks this is a good idea is beyond us, but it will keep the lawyers busy.

The 2019 Louisville Grand National is now history and the Cadillac Club of Kansas City is to be congratulated on the region attaining the 2019 Website of Excellence Award! Of the 60 regions and chapters of the CLC, 43 have a web presence. Of those 43 regions and chapters, 13 were eliminated for having websites that do not conform to minimum standards as set by the CLC Information Technology Committee. Of the remaining 30 websites, only 20 scored high enough to earn the Website of Merit award. Of course, only one received the coveted Website of Excellence Award! Congratulations to webmaster Tom Keegan and all the contributors who made this recognition possible.