Everything To Know About The Famous Elvis Pink Cadillac
Rumors of Elvis somehow still being alive are a testament to the king's enduring popularity. They're probably helped by the fact that once in a while in Las Vegas, you'll see an Elvis impersonator driving down the road in a pink Cadillac, and do a double take. No car is more associated with the pop star, which was as flamboyant as his outfits. That's not something just anyone can pull off.
According to the Graceland Museum, the notorious pink and white 1955 Cadillac was not Elvis' first or only car. Like any proper rock star, it took a few versions to get it right. He began his career as a traveling musician with a 1951 Lincoln, which his bass player totaled shortly thereafter. A used pink 1954 Cadillac – which by all rights should count as one of the the greatest Cadillacs of all time — took its place, but a few months later it caught fire at the side of the road after a brake line failure. So his manager stepped in and helped Elvis buy a new 1955 Cadillac Series 60 Fleetwood Special.
Why pink?
That one lasted a bit longer. It initially came in blue and black, and it's believed that Elvis had it repainted pink and white — not just to go along with a few of his similarly themed flamboyant suits, but because his chart-topping song at the time, "Baby Let's Play House," contained the line, "You may go to college, you may go to school, you may have a pink Cadillac, but don't you be nobody's fool." It provided transportation for Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys between gigs, and they often slept inside when they weren't driving. This was part of the reason they opted for a large classic Cadillac, as opposed to something like a VW Beetle.
The four-door Cadillac featured a 331-ci, 250-hp V8 and HydraMatic automatic transmission, and came with accoutrements that are commonplace today, but were considered luxury additions at the time. These included: power windows, a power-adjustable driver's seat, and Cadillac's high-tech Autronic-Eye sensor, which dimmed the headlights when oncoming traffic approached (still a bit of a luxury feature today).
As is fitting, further accidents and models followed, and Elvis wound up owning several pink Cadillacs over the course of his career. But the 1955 Cadillac is the iconic model that's inspired numerous copycat versions around the world. It currently resides at the entertainment and exhibit complex across the street from Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, where it hasn't had an accident since.