The Cadillac you see here mightn’t be the most iconic or audacious set of wheels ‘The King’ ever owned, but it’s the only car known to have ever been registered to Elvis Presley – and you have the chance to own it.
Currently located in Sweden and up for grabs internationally via British auction house Car & Classic, days are numbered for a canny investor or hard-core fan to get their hands on this American land-yacht, with bidding set to close on January 16, 2022.
The car in question is a Michigan-built 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, finished in the same yellow hue and with the same hulking V8 under the bonnet as the day Presley was said to have purchased it off the showroom floor.
Sold with original documentation (including a signed order form and delivery receipt) to prove Elvis was the first owner, Car & Classic says it was purchased by Presley on September 26, 1974, from Madison Cadillac Inc, optioned at the time with a bonnet-mounted ‘Goddess’, a sunroof and Vogue tyres all round.
As the story goes, the singer then gifted the big Caddy to his personal physician – Dr George Nichopoulos – a short time later in 1976, who drove it until 1985.
The car was then sold to its current owner, who is said to have sold it to Elvis exhibition curator Franz
Heel in 1990, but recently bought it back.
Since it rolled out of the showroom, the four-door has gathered just 1725 miles on its odometer and a few small parking dings. It has never been properly restored.
There’s apparently no rust and the original paintwork is intact, according to the vendor, who ensures its panel gaps are true to the day it rolled off the Detroit factory floor.
Meanwhile, the cabin is said to have remained plush over the years but does have expected signs of wear and tear, such as a cracked steering wheel and some splits in the vinyl.
The dashboard and its gauges are in good working order, as is the original radio. Other standard equipment includes cruise control, electric windows, factory air-conditioning, electric seats and rear foot rests.
In need of some love (and a new battery), the engine doesn’t turn over, with the auctioneer encouraging anyone interested to view it as a bit of “a project”, saying it just needs to be refreshed and looked over.
Uniquely, the highest bidder will also receive several pieces of history relating to Elvis and his car, including a framed 14-carat gold key for the car, a ‘Graceland’ backdrop for display purposes and a host of photographs that further cement the Caddy’s significance.
A collector’s dream, the highest bid for Elvis’ Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham at the time of writing was €12,000 ($A18,930), however the reserve (undisclosed) hadn’t been met.