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Volo Auto Museum Gets Elvis’ Custom Cadillac

Posted on 2014-12-19

Illinois’ Volo Auto Museum has a new addition to its “Cars of the Rich and Famous,” collection. It's none other than Elvis Presley's custom pink Cadillac — a vehicle that many believed to have disappeared into a private collection forever.

What Is the Elvis Presley Cadillac Station Wagon?

Back when the King was playing gigs for millions of screaming fans, Elvis Presley placed a custom order with one of his favorite automakers, Cadillac. The King had somewhat of an odd request. He wanted Cadillac to produce a station wagon, which was something the manufacturer had not done before. Additionally, he wanted to use colors that reflected his rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

Elvis Presley placed his order in April of 1974. Later that year, he got behind the wheel of his dream vehicle, which cost him just under $17,500 at the time. The one-of-a-kind Cadillac station wagon featured white exterior doors and a contrasting pink roof.

It's reported that the King was feeling the itch to support his friends and family the day he went to pick up the Elvis pink Cadillac. This resulted in him purchasing four additional vehicles from the dealership to give away to his loved ones.

Why The Elvis Pink Cadillac Is Unique

During the 1970s, Cadillac stayed out of the station wagon market. This territory was dominated by Ford, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Mercury. Cadillac specialized in sedans, so Elvis' request was unusual.

Elvis' pink Cadillac station wagon is based on a Cadillac DeVille body. The project required assemblers to complete a vehicle conversion. Elvis was so impressed with the results that the station wagon quickly became his daily driver in Graceland.

Who Completed the Elvis Presley Cadillac Conversion?

The project was handled by the American Sunroof Company. Presley had a few requests for the team to incorporate during the design process. He requested a vinyl roof, luggage rack, pink exterior stripes and brown leather seats. The goal for the Elvis Presley Cadillac station wagon was to make a vehicle that could lug music equipment and look flashy doing it.

Notable Features of Elvis' Custom Station Wagon

The Elvis Presley custom station wagon was built for the music world. This pink and white vehicle showcases a clamshell tailgate that would make it easy to throw musical instruments, personal belongings and luggage in the back with plenty of room to spare.

This famous ride contained a 7.7-liter V8 engine and an automatic transmission. It's been said that Elvis' station wagon can reach up to 112 miles per hour. A minor but significant detail requested by the King was to incorporate “TCB” initials and the picture of a lightning bolt near the driver's side door. The letters stood for “taking care of business" — one of Presley's favorite sayings.

Where Is the Elvis Presley Pink Cadillac Now?

The iconic station wagon sold at auction a few months after the King's death in 1977. There were 5,000 miles on the odometer at the time of sale. The station wagon's whereabouts were largely unknown for decades until a recent resurgence in the 2010s.

Presley's pink Cadillac appeared on Craigslist out of the blue. The seller provided a detailed description of the rare 1970s station wagon, only mentioning its first owner at the end of the passage. Volo Auto Museum in Illinois purchased the automobile, and the pink Caddy has been on display since 2014. Visitors travel from all over the country to see the King's car today.

Words From the Current Owner

“We’ve been looking for the right Elvis car to add to our collection,” Volo director, Brian Grams says. He stumbled across Elvis Presley’s custom-made pink and white Cadillac station wagon while doing a Google search that led him to a classified ad.

“I clicked on it and as I’m reading the description, it was Elvis’ car,” he said. “Cadillac never made a station wagon. He bought a four-door sedan and had it customized into a station wagon.” The King of rock 'n' roll used it to haul musical equipment between Graceland and the airport. Grams said this was the forgotten Elvis Caddy.

“It was sold back in 1977, three months after he passed away, for $50,000 — which was about a quarter of a million dollars in today’s money. It pretty much disappeared after that, went into a private collection,” he says. The station wagon is now on public display, part of the Volo Museum’s collection of cars owned by the rich and famous.

See the King's Pink Cadillac Station Wagon at Volo Auto Museum

Volo Auto Museum is the place to learn about rare vehicles owned by celebrities, musicians, production companies, movie stars and similar figures. See the Elvis Presley pink Cadillac station wagon for yourself by visiting the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois. We're open year-round to help you plan the perfect family trip!