Elvis Presley was, like many other celebrities, a great car lover. So much so that, in his garage, he had numerous sports cars and vehicles of impossible designs. Those very expensive classics made up an entire collection that the king of Rock and Roll treasured with great care and in which the jewel in the crown stood out: his Cadillac. According to some rumors, he owned 200 copies of this brand, although this information has not been confirmed.
Beyond music, his passion for automobiles was clear. In this sense, the first thing he did upon reaching stardom was buy a 1941 Lincoln. Although this was not his first car. The dawn of his interest in the world of motors dates back to that Lincoln Zephyr that his father had given him before he became famous. Since then, models from BMW, Rolls-Royce and even what came to be considered a “bubble car” passed through his garage. Next, we review some of Elvis Presley’s most striking cars.
If there is an iconic car within this collection, it is the Cadillac Fleetwood 60, especially for its characteristic “Elvis Rose” shade. The artist himself had described it in an interview as the most beautiful car he had ever seen in his life. However, he had two versions of this model.
The first of them, which he had bought second-hand in 1954 to transport his group, The Blue Moon Boys, caught fire three months after its acquisition. For this reason, Elvis Presley showed up at the Cadillac dealership and ordered a brand new one. The car they gave him then was blue, with a black roof, and he soon painted it exactly as it was, Elvis Rose.
The most striking thing about this story is that, once this was done, Presley decided to give the Cadillac Fleetwood 60 to his mother, who never got her driver’s license.
At what point did it seem like a good idea to make a three-wheeled “bubble car”? And why couldn’t Elvis resist the temptation of buying one? Of course, this strange model did not do so badly, since around 20,000 units were sold.
The project for this curious vehicle arose after World War II, when the German aircraft manufacturer, Masserschmitt, was prohibited from manufacturing airplanes; and, under the initiative of engineer Fritz Fend, he developed an alternative: this car, with barely 10 HP and that did not exceed 90 km/h.
As for the copy that ended up in Elvis Presley’s garage in Memphis, it didn’t take long to be sold. This time, to Bernard Lansky, the owner of a men’s clothing store, in exchange for a shopping session.
In 1956, after scoring his first number 1 on Billaboard with Heartbreak Hotel, Elvis decided it was time to treat himself and bought a white Cadillac Eldorado, which he chose to paint red.
This model had emerged in 1953 as a “limited edition” and was the first with a panoramic windshield. Under its hood, beat a V8 engine with a displacement of 5.4 liters and 210 HP. Little by little, Eldorado increased its power until it reached 270 HP. At the time Elvis bought it, there were two versions on the market: Eldorado Biarritz and the Eldorado Seville coupe.
Manufactured between 1956 and 1960, only 254 units of this small convertible sports car were built. Although it is true that, in the first instance, it was planned to manufacture 5,000 units per year; The high production costs lowered this figure considerably, since BMW lost money with every 507 it sold, to the point of almost bankrupting the brand. Curiously, the few examples that were created make this car an automotive icon.
As for the moment when Elvis Presley got his exclusive BMW 507, it was precisely during 1958 in Germany, while he was passing the first phase of mandatory military service in the United States. The purchase was a white model that the artist was forced to paint in “Porsche Red” so that his fans would stop writing messages on the body with their lipstick.
This luxury collection could not miss models as exclusive as those from Rolls-Royce. Specifically, this one was acquired in 1963 and the singer soon added electric windows, air conditioning, radio, bar, telephone and, of course, a microphone. Additionally, the artist repainted it a “light silvery blue” shade after his mother’s dogs damaged the original “midnight blue shadow” paint.
Five years after its acquisition, Elvis gave it away to be auctioned for charity.
Last year, this Lincoln model that Elvis Presley acquired as a gift to his latest girlfriend and fiancée, Ginger Alden, went up for auction in Los Angeles. Completely restored, the classic sold for more than €300,000.
The car had been manufactured following Elvis Presley’s strict preferences. Therefore, a steel roof and an interior with white leather upholstery were added. Likewise, a red interior lining and a clock signed by the specialist Cartier were also incorporated, to create a more luxurious appearance within the Lincoln.
This is a series of sedans in coupe format that stand out among Elvis’s automobile collection. With V8 engines to accelerate at full throttle and with 24-karat gold-plated bezels and moldings, the singer came to own four of these models. The first of them crashed shortly after purchasing it and another decided to give it to his doctor, Dr. Elias Ghanem.
In addition to those already mentioned, other vehicles coexisted in Elvis Presley’s garage that reflected his interest in the world of motors. Thus, at the end of the 60s, Elvis acquired a Mercedes-Benz 600 that had air suspension, a 6.3-liter V8 engine, power steering, air conditioning and even blinds. Also passed through his hands was a DeTomaso Pantera that he bought in 1974 for his girlfriend, Linda Thompson, a Ford Thunderbird and a Cadillac Miller-Meteor hearse, in which he made his last trip.