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A Cadillac fit for a king is up for sale as the last car bought by Elvis – driven by him the day before he died – goes under the hammer.
The last car bought by iconic singer and prolific Hollywood actor Elvis Presley is on the market at Bonhams in the United Kingdom.
The King of Rock and Roll picked out the 1977 Cadillac Seville sedan – including the silver-over-maroon two-tone paintwork – only months before his death at age 42 on 16 August the same year.
Known to have owned more than 100 Cadillacs during his life, it’s believed the four-door sedan is both the last Cadillac and last car of any make bought by Presley, one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.
Bonhams Cars will auction the vehicle – not including the ‘ELVIS 1’ number plates shown in images – through its online website with bidding opening on 4 November.
With no reserve, the Cadillac is expected to fetch more than $US100,000 ($AU150,810) – the sum it achieved when sold in 1994 in Las Vegas – when the auction ends on 25 November 2024.
According to Classic.com the average price of a 1977 Cadillac Seville is around $US16,500 ($AU25,000) with its top recorded sale at $36,300 ($AU55,115).
Bonhams picked up the Cadillac directly from the ‘Auction at Graceland’ held in 2014 where items from Presley’s famous Graceland estate in Tennessee, United States (US), were sold off.
It is fully authenticated by the Elvis Presley Museum and includes the original ownership papers signed by Presley when he bought the car.
Bonhams published images of Presley behind the wheel of the car – the day before his death – where he could use the CB radio installed to contact the front gate and kitchen at his Graceland estate.
In addition to its colour scheme, the Seville – the most expensive non-limousine Cadillac in showrooms at the time – chosen by Elvis has custom bodywork by Detroit-based Fisher Body, which Cadillac owner General Motors (GM) operated at the time.
This saw the previous year-model Seville’s two-piece roof – with visible weld marks where it was joined together – produced as a single piece for a smoother finish on 1977 versions.
Despite the Seville being the first ‘down-sized’ Cadillac in response to more fuel-efficient models from Mercedes-Benz and BMW, there’s still a 180hp (134kW) 5.7-litre fuel-injected V8 petrol engine and a three-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
Inside, the two-spoke steering wheel includes faux-wood veneers on the dashboard and doors – where they surround chrome power window switches –alongside grey leather upholstery used on the seats.
Air-conditioning and power windows, mirrors and radio antenna are all part of the luxury spec from 1977, with the left-hand drive Seville’s odometer reading 56,998 miles (91,729km).
Following Presley’s death, his father Vernon gave the vehicle to his fiancé, Ginger Alden, before it became part of an Elvis memorabilia collection owned by Jimmy Velvet in 1982.
It was then sold to Australian-based Greg Page (also know as the original Yellow Wiggle of The Wiggles fame) in 1994 at auction in Las Vegas, where it fetched $US101,500 ($AU154,110).
A decade later it was sold for $US81,250 ($AU123,364) and shipped to the United Kingdom (UK), where it was put on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in England’s south.
The expectation the Seville will sell for more than $US100,000 – more than five times the average price – is backed by previous auction results for cars owned by Elvis.
A 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood owned by Presley sold for $US230,000 ($AU350,000) – bumped up to $US253,000 ($AU384,000) once auction fees were added – by Mecum Auctions in Arizona, US, in March 2024.
That compares to an average sale price of $US23,943 ($AU36,201) on Classic.com, with the highest sale $US42,900 ($AU65,136).
The final sobering image of Presley taken before his death was at the wheel of a 1973 Stutz Blackhawk said to be one of his favourite cars.
