Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Rides of the King

How else would a gearhead mark the anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing than by taking a look at some of the fabulous cars he owned? Elvis loved cars and bought them on a whim, sometimes for strangers. He is famous for buying his mother a pink Cadillac, but preferred black and white for himself.

In his own stable, Cadillacs and Lincolns dominated- mostly Cadillacs in number and Elvis and Cadillac are linked in the minds of many, but his favorite car in the '50's was his 1956 Continental Mark II and in the seventies, the King also loved him some Stutz Blackhawk. Not only was he the largest single customer of the Stutz Motor Car Company, but he did them the favor of having last photo ever taken of him behind the wheel of his beloved black Stutz.

So on the thirty fourth anniversary of his passing, remember the King via some of his coolest rides:

Driving his yellow 1955 Cadillac:

The 1955 Fleetwood purchased by Elvis for his mother, Gladys Presley:



Elvis and his white 1956 Continental Mark II:



Elvis' $100,000 1960 Cadillac Limousine, customized by Barris:



Another Barris Custom, Elvis' 1965 Cadillac Eldorado convertible:



Elvis and two of his Stutz Blackhawks, the white 1972 and the black 1973:



The last car purchased, his 1977 Seville, at Graceland and being driven:


Another pose of the 1977 Seville:



The last known photo of Elvis- Aug. 16, 1977 at 12:28 AM, returning home in the Stutz Blackhawk:


Elvis's funeral procession- the 1977 Cadillac hearse and parade of white 1977 Cadillacs:

1 comment:

  1. The black Stutz Blackhawk ... I was working at Jules Meyers Pontiac in Westwood at that time. Elvis took delivery of it from our GM, Fred Turcott. I remember the security was as if the president was visiting. Elvis posed for a few publicity shots with Fred handing him the keys to it. Then he drove off -- surrounded by a half dozen other cars in his entourage.

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