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The Elvis Car ??

Started by xcaret, October 24, 2012, 12:49:11 AM

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xcaret

Were all eldorados 1973 -1978 style called The Elvis Car ? I have seen 1978's called that buy the seller and I'm sure Elvis died in 1977 .

The Tassie Devil(le)

As far as I know, Elvis actually preferred 4 door cars.

What sellers call their cars is up to them, and anyone gullible enough to buy one as an "Elvis" car, without documentation is stupid.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Davidinhartford

Correct.  Elvis did not own a 1978 Cadillac.   His last ride was in a white 1977 Miller-Meteor Landau Traditional Cadillac hearse.  That was in August of 1977.







Oh, and it was destroyed in a fire in 1984, so it shouldn't be showing up at Barrett-Jackson anytime soon.   :P

Eldorado Tex

What happened to it?

Never say never on one turning up though like a certain 60s Pontiac ambulance.

Walter Youshock

Look at the price of gas in the one photo...
CLC #11959 (Life)
1957 Coupe deVille
1991 Brougham

Davidinhartford

Quote from: Eldorado Tex on October 24, 2012, 04:42:57 PM
What happened to it?


From the internet:

On 18th August 1977, after a private service inside Graceland, Elvis's body was
placed in a gleaming white 1977 Miller-Meteor Landau Traditional Cadillac hearse.
Then, a brilliantly shining silver Cadillac limousine led the procession, with the
hearse followed by sixteen white Cadillac limousines carrying the mourners to the
Memphis Cemetery.

What happened to the hearse used in Elvis's funeral?

My name is Chuck Houston, President of Houston Brothers, Inc., a funeral car dealer
in Marietta, GA. Around 1984, I was the last person to drive the hearse that
carried Elvis to his grave. Our Company, then known as Crain S&S Sales which my
father owned, bought, sold, leased and traded cars with SCI. He did so for many
years. He originally sold the car new to SCI. We came back into possession of
Elvis's hearse when Memphis FH updated their rolling stock.
We were loaning the hearse to a funeral home in South Florida until their new
vehicle was ready for delivery. My father was reluctant to loan the car out. He
wanted to hang on to it, the only car he ever wanted keep in 50 years of business.
The funeral home in Florida was one of his biggest customers and needed a
white/white loaner desperately. Elvis's hearse happened to be the only white hearse
on the lot. Another employee and myself, both of us about 21 at the time (we were
going to drop off the car and then spend a few days of spring break in Ft.
Lauderdale) took off toward Miami on I-75 around 7:00 pm. Around 10:00 we ran out
of gas just north of Valdosta, GA. What was odd is that a tank of gas in those days
would carry you from Marietta, GA to the Live Oak exit in Florida with gas left in
the tank. That was based on the many, many cars my friend and I delivered to the
south Florida area in the early 80's. Therefore we never checked the gas gauge
until we were in the vicinity of Live Oak.

After running out of gas, we walked about two miles to the next exit, bought a can
and some gas and started back up the north bound return ramp toward Elvis's hearse.
Before reaching the highway a Lowndes County Sheriff stopped us, asked where we
were going and called us a cab. We got her going again and headed for the gas
station to fill her up. Heading south again, we were on our way. Just as the weigh
station (the last one on southbound 75) came into sight the engine cut off. I
dropped her into neutral while traveling around 65 mph and turned the ignition.
When I did, fire shot out from under the hood on both sides. I eased her to the
shoulder next to the weigh station return ramp and my friend and I jumped from the
hearse as the fire engulfed the front end of the hearse.

My friend and I met at the rear of the car and realized all of our possessions were
in the rear of the hearse and the doors were locked. We couldn't get back in the
front to retrieve the keys due to the fire having already spread. A truck driver
appeared with a fire extinguisher but it was too late. Neither of us wanted to get
close for fear the hearse would blow up. So there we stood and watched as Elvis's
hearse went up in flames. A fire truck finally arrived and all they could save was
the rear quarter panels, the rear door and bumper. Twin Lakes Towing picked the
hearse up around 2:00 am and carried it to their lot. The D.O.T. Enforcement
Officer carried us to the Ramada Inn.

The next morning we caught a cab over to Twin Lakes Towing and waited for our
wrecker to show up from Marietta. While waiting at the towing co. all I could think
was that I burned up Elvis's hearse and my dad was going to kill me. The remains
sat on our back lot (Hwy. 41 / Cobb Pkwy) until 1989 when it was finally put through
a car crusher and hauled off. My friend and I sat there and watched as it was
crushed. Other than the VIN, the hearse was identifiable by the number on the lower
right hand side of the rear window. I can't remember the number at the moment but I
want to say seven. The number is visible on some of the footage of Elvis's funeral.
There is one scene where the hearse is turning left when it is plainly visible. The
number sticker was still on the vehicle the day it was crushed. Out of the
thousands of hearses my father has sold over the years, this one was special. We
always say that Elvis didn't want his hearse to end up in south Florida.