Elvis’ 1967 Lincoln, a wedding gift from Colonel Parker, sells for $165,000
Elvis lives! Oh, sure, technically The King died 42 years ago, but his legion of fans—and their enthusiasm for anything he touched—continues to grow. Recently someone slapped down $165,000 for Presley’s tired and dust-covered 1967 Lincoln Continental Lehmann-Peterson Limousine.
The black Lincoln was a wedding present from Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who gifted it to newlyweds Elvis and Priscilla Presley in May 1967. Presley’s ownership is documented with a copy of the title application listing him as the original owner.
“Celebrity ownership history doesn’t necessarily translate to more value, but famous people who were known enthusiasts—like Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Paul Newman, and Paul Walker—do carry a certain cachet on the collector car market,” says Hagerty valuation editor Andrew Newton. “While Lincoln executive limousines are fairly collectible, almost all the money paid here was for the Elvis connection.”
The car became known as the Presley Family Car, as it chauffeured Elvis, Priscilla, and the celebrity couple’s only child, Lisa Marie, around Memphis, on trips, and to countless engagements.
The limo’s whereabouts had been unknown for decades, and it was recently discovered in the extensive collection of James Petrozzini, who bought it in the 1980s. The car was offered without reserve at Mecum’s Monterey auction, and Mecum says Petrozzini—wearing a chauffeur’s hat and white gloves—would drive the limo to pick up his son and his son’s friends from school. Petrozzini also drove the limo to impress his clients when transporting them to and from the airport.
Titled as a 1966 Lincoln Continental, the Executive Limousine received coachwork from Lehmann-Peterson. It is powered by a 462-cubic-inch V-8 engine and is equipped with air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power antenna, power front bench seat, in-dash clock, and other luxurious amenities like a radio-stereo system and climate controls in the passenger area.
The limousine will require some sympathetic restoration work, but considering the Elvis Presley Family Car has been out of the public eye for years, we hope the buyer shares it with the rest of the world. If only it could talk… or better yet, sing.
A run through the carwash, a headlight, and detailing of the interior, and it will be good as new!