Elvis loved cars and mechanical toys of all types, including motorcycles and airplanes. He had the money to indulge his passions, and you can see many of his favorites right across the street from Graceland. The Elvis Presley Automobile Museum displays over 20 vehicles owned (or which were once owned) by Elvis. You can also see two of Elvis’ aircraft.
The collection of classic cars includes Elvis’ famous Pink Cadillac, several Rolls-Royces, two Stutz Blackhawks, a Mercedes limousine, a Ferrari, and some of Elvis’ smaller motorized toys (go-cart, dune buggy, and so on). While some of the photos in this blog are my own, I lost an SD card containing many of my images from this museum. Many of the photos in this post were taken by my brother (Ottoman); I’m grateful that he shared them with us.
Here are some of Elvis’ cars from the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum:
1) 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, the pink Cadillac which Elvis bought for his mother, Gladys, and one of the only cars he never sold.
2) 1956 Cadillac ElDorado
3) 1960 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud (first Rolls Elvis owned)
4) 1962 Lincoln Continental
5) 1966 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
6) 1969 Mercedes Benz 600 Limousine
7) 1970 Mercedes 280 SL Roadster (a gift from Elvis to Priscilla)
8) 1971 Stutz Blackhawk. The first of Elvis’ beloved Stutz cars.
9) 1973 Stutz Blackhawk (driven by Elvis the night he died….)
10) 1975 Ferrari Dino
11) Assorted Mechanical Toys Elvis like to speed around on. A number of them were customized to Elvis’ specifications.
12) Elvis’ Jets
A separate exhibit (an additional admission fee), but conceptually the same. In his early years Elvis drove tens of thousands of miles between performance engagements in cars and buses. I doubt many of us have spent as much time sleeping in cars as Elvis did in the 1950s). As air travel improved and he could afford it, it made sense that he would move toward personal jet travel.
There are two planes Elvis owned in Graceland’s collection. The prize of the collection is the “Lisa Marie” (named by Elvis in honor of his beloved daughter), a Convair 880 jet which he bought for just $250,000 in 1975. Elvis then spent almost a million dollars upgrading it to his specifications (customized bed and seats, gold bathroom fixtures, great sound system). It’s interesting to tour this now ancient seeming plane, but which in its day represented the height of luxury.
A second aircraft is on display, a small jet he bought before the Lisa Marie called “Hound Dog II”. It is a Lockheed Jet Star and was used in later years mostly by his manager and staff. Compared to the Lisa Marie, it’s a pretty basic aircraft.
You can enter both planes and look around.
Thanks for the comment, Mac! I would have been happy to take any of them, but would especially have enjoyed cruising the streets of Memphis in that Pink Cadillac! Every head in town would have swiveled to it.
Thanks, Garry. Yes, there is definitely an interest in Elvis from the younger generation. I’d say that today most of those visiting Graceland were not alive when Elvis died. And what’s most amazing to me is how they come from all over the planet. Some of his greatest supporters, as you know, are from the UK (and also Japan for that matter). Elvis always regretted not performing in England, but his manager (he of the 50% cut fame) was an illegal alien without a passport, so he only kept Elvis in the US. If you want to see Elvis, you had to go to America.
Once again DrFumblefinger you have put together another amazing blog with wonderful pictures. Thank you for this. I hadn’t heard anything about the family wanting to sell the two jets…that would be a pity, for their presence added a nice piece of history, demonstrating where and how Elvis spent much of his time traveling from city to city on his many tour dates throughout the seventies. The news of Elvis’s planes being sold makes me even more grateful that I had the opportunity to visit Graceland when I did.
What a fantastic collection Karl, beautifully captured thru your lens. Could you sneak the Dino or 280SL or the Stutz out in your camera bag for me? ����
Just a short post-pubication note. Apparently the estate has the two airplanes for sale now. Not sure how this will impact visitation, but the Lisa Marie is especially interesting because of the thought and design Elvis put into its renovation.
It’s good to see the Elvis Legacy lives on.
Does the “King” still have a following in America with younger people ?
I’m amazed that younger visitors to Liverpool still want to see Beatles memorabilia.
German, French, Japanese, Spanish and Scandinavian tourists and most under 40.
Perhaps the fans of the 60s are too old to travel now !.
A very comprehensive study of Gracelands DrF.
Really enjoyed it !! Thank You.
You’ve answered a very old question for me !
Now I can blame the “Boss” for the absence of the “King”
He did visit England once – but only on his way to Germany for his Army duties.
Thanks for your comment, Jack! Graceland is a fun place to visit, especially if you like Elvis’ music. I hope you enjoy yourself.
What a great collection, beautiful images that you have captured through your camera and like to share with us. I loved to see the different models of cars and you gave me a place where I can see a wide variety of cars. I will go there with my brother after his visit hoover dam with friends because he is also like such kind of things.