Ok, this is a long shot. Over the years I have seen some pretty amazing things happen through the HAMB, maybe something will become of this. Im not an Elvis memorabilia collector or anything like that so this isnt one of those type threads..... I have a very good friend of mine that is seeking any information about the 1954 Cadillac sedan belonging to Elvis that was burned in a roadside fire. The basic story is that it was his first Cadillac, purchased in 55, burnt on the side of the road due to a brakeline failure. The car was pink and white and only partially burned from what info I have. It caught on fire near Fulton, Ar which is between Hope and Texarkana. I was told that the car was moved off the road and into a field where it sat for several (20+) years and was eventually sold. I was also told that it was moved off the road and put into a barn where it sat until the barn began to collapse. It was then pulled out into the field where it could be seen from the highway and was rumored to have been sold to someone living in or near Atlanta, Tx. Years ago I had a friend that told me he knew where "a Cadillac" was that had been burned. He didnt know the year model, but did know that it was pink. He told me that his mother was doing hospice care for a man that lived in McNab (a very small town near Fulton) and that the car was in his barn, his mother took him to see it. Nothing was ever said about it actually being Elvis' car. I was offered a ride out there to go look but at the time a burned up Caddy didnt interest me much.....I recently asked him about the car and he remembered it, his mother however couldnt recall the mans name that owned the property. I know this is a shot in the dark.....but who knows.
Why would a nearly new Cadillac that caught fire be left on the side of the road and moved off into a field ? Wouldn't it have been picked up by a tow truck and brought somewhere that an insurance adjuster could look at it ? Weird story .
There was a pink Caddy, that he gave his mother, that is in the museum in Memphis.It was the one that sat in the Graceland carport for years, I think.
As the story goes, the man that owned the property offered to move the car and let it sit on his land until arrangements could be made for it to be picked up. That never happened. More than likely the car was purchased in cash, so no note at the bank, which left Elvis holding the bag to get it taken care of. He wasnt "famous" yet at that time, so in a small town like that he was just a kid with a band. I cant recall right off if he was on his way to play in Texarkana or if he was returning home from a show in Texarkana, but it was one or the other. He did play in Hope once and several times in Texarkana in the early days of his career, so maybe he stopped in to check on it from time to time. I guess anythings a possibility.
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presleys_1955_pink_cadillac.shtml http://www.elvispresleynews.com/ElvisCars.html
Well, it was his first Cadillac after signing on with Sun Records. It was a 54 Caddy with pink with a white top. After that burned because of a Brake rotor got hot and caught fire, he bought a 55', pink with black top. After in Sept of 55 Bill Black (Elvis' Bass Player) was trying to miss an oncoming truck that swerved in his lane and wrecked the car. It was repairable, but cost over $1000 to repair. It was fixed and repainted pink with a white top. By this time, he had such a collection of cars, he could afford to now claim this was his mother, Gladys' car. http://elviscadillacs.tripod.com/index.htm -Cody
A gentleman by the name of George Wormington picked him up and took him the rest of the way into Texarkana so that he could play at The Opry house in Texarkana
There is also an Elvis Cad in the Country music hall of fame in Nashville. It's pearl white and has bullets on the hubcaps. It is also spotring Barris crests on the fenders. It has a lot in common with the Kopper Kart.
Is it restored or burnt up? The linked story called it a brake lining falure. Wouldnt that be the shoes?
This is interesting info. One of the linked sites states that he hitched a ride to the next town, then took a plane on into Texas. Doesnt say where in Tx, and makes no mention of him playing in Texarkana at that time. I was told that he did indeed play in Texarkana after the fire, and at one time I knew the young ladies name that was with him when he left Hope headed to Texarkana.... It burned and the whereabouts are unknown. The emergency brake was apparently slightly engaged and caused the linings to overheat and catch fire.
i saw his gold plated barris caddy at the coutry music hall of fame two years ago. parked behind webb pierces nudey built poncho convert.
Among others, Elvis lso had a Purple '56 Eldorado. When he bought it new it was white, story goes he took it to Jimmy Sanders shop in Memphis, squashed a handle of grapes on the fender and said 'paint it that color'
Ahh, my all-time favorite of his Cadillacs! He flew to Houston (I think...somewhere in Texas) with his girlfriend June Juanico on June 12, 1956 to buy it for almost $10,000. It was an all white Eldorado convertible. He actually kept it plain for almost a year. I don't know exactly when it was painted purple, but when he bought Graceland (March of 57') there was a picture of it infront of his house still in white. He traded the car on December 23rd 1957 because of mechanical problems. In 1958, a young Elvis fan bought it for around $4000. Then she moved to Alabama with her husband. She died in 74' and it was sold again. Finally in 1976, a car dealer bought it on July 31st for $975. He planned on restoring it to it's former glory and present it to Elvis, but Elvis died before it could be done. The car was painted purple (Elvis squashed grapes on the fender) and it was changed to white tuck and roll with purple carpet. It also had guitar shapes on the door panels too, and "EP" entwined on the head rests. The original car did not have lake pipes but it now has it. Also, check out this site for almost everything you want to know about his Cadillacs. http://elviscadillacs.tripod.com/index.htm
My dad brought it in to texarkana to his garage 24 hour service on e9th st and the girls started climbing the storage fence to steal souvenirs it was definitely Elvis' car
I actually talked to the "Elves mothers Cadillac" restorer (late '80s) shortly after restoration. At the time I had a '55 Cad. that needed restoration and was about to be transferred to Memphis. He still had the old dented lower body stainless with some of the Elves Pink under masked paint on it. It was kind of a bubble gum pink and the restorer said he couldn't bring himself to paint it that color again he so painted it a more pleasing (to him) pink. I tried to get him to sell me one of the stainless pieces but he declined with a big grin on his face.
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