Elvis Presley’s 1975 Caddy has “Got a Lot O’ Livin’ to Do”
Whether you’re into the idea of a celebrity-owned car or not, some examples undoubtedly have a greater draw than others. You’d probably not pay a great deal extra for a Honda Civic once owned by a member of One Direction, but when a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham once owned by Elvis Presley pops up for sale, you sit up and pay attention.
Going to auction soon through U.K.-based Car & Classic, this ’75 Caddy has the provenance to back up its celebrity ownership, with documentation and photographs both proving that The King was indeed its first owner.
According to Car & Classic, the Caddy comes with the original order form signed by Elvis himself, recording that the car was bought from Madison Cadillac on September 26, 1974. The singer specified various optional extras, including “Vogue” tires, a bonnet-mounted “Goddess,” and a sunroof.
It cost him the princely (Kingly?) sum of $12,512, equivalent to around $70,500 today, or a few grand less than a base-model Escalade SUV from Cadillac’s modern lineup. Which actually makes the Brougham look like a bit of a bargain, if you ask us.
Elvis used the car for a couple of years before gifting it to his doctor, Dr. G. Nichopoulos, in 1976. Dr. Nichopoulos used the car until 1985, selling it to the current vendor. The seller actually moved the car on again in 1990, but bought it back in 2021.
Some of the articles being sold with the car are quite remarkable in their own right, including a framed 14-carat gold key for the car, several period photographs showing the car in front of Presley’s Graceland home, along with several of his friends, plus all those early documents.
There is some documentation missing from the car’s ownership post-Elvis, and the car itself is in usable rather than pristine condition—the auction listing notes cracks and splits in some of the interior fabrics and materials, and a few dings to the sizable (18.3 feet long and 6.2 feet wide) exterior.
It’s also not currently running, but since everything is original, it should hopefully be fairly simple to coax this Caddy back into life. While we’d typically advocate using old cars, there are some circumstances where you probably wouldn’t want to do any more than a light recommissioning ensuring its characterful history is preserved. This is definitely one of those situations.
The final detail is that the car is currently located in Sweden, so don’t think you can just run over and kick Elvis’ old tires. Getting it delivered to where you are shouldn’t be insurmountable, though. The auction begins on January 8. We price the equivalent, non-Elvis-owned Brougham between $4800 and $19,200 depending on condition. What might this one sell for? Make your guesses now …
