Last Sunday, Jan 8, Elvis Presley would have been 88 years old. Sadly, the King of Rock and Roll only made it to 42 before excess brought on by fame and fortune led to a heart attack. But that hasn’t diminished his place in the hearts of fans, where the snarl-lipped crooner holds a position perhaps unmatched in 20th century pop culture.
So even four decades after his untimely passing, it’s only natural that we still celebrate his birthday, just as we do Washington and Lincoln. Those celebrations extend to the car world, because Elvis loved cars—from the pink Cadillac he bought in 1955 to the BMW 507 he owned when he was in the Army in Germany, to more Cadillacs, a T-bird, and his beloved 1973 Stutz Blackhawk III
While Elvis’ official birthday celebration may have been held at Graceland this year, as it is every year, there were two other birthday parties that commemorated the King’s coming with cars, one held on the East Coast, one on the West.
Gaze in wonder at the opulence of the Elvis mobile!
Orlando Auto Museum
Let’s start on the East. The Orlando Auto Museum celebrated with a display of a “one-of-a-kind Elvis tribute car,” a 1977 Cadillac Eldorado-based extravaganza created by wacky custom car builder Jay Ohrberg. Ohrberg is responsible for such tasteful creations as: an eight-seat, ten-wheeled stretch Ferrari F40; a 12-wheeled, eight-seat, pink Mercedes Cabriolet limo with a heart-shaped bathtub in the back; and a 100-foot, 24-wheeled, 73-seat limo with a helicopter landing pad on the aft deck, which prompted at least one Russian reviewer to write, “This is how Americans waste their money.”
Ohrberg also made a guitar-shaped car (that did not play) and a piano car (that did). Among his Hollywood creations, according to the museum, is Kitt the Talking Car, the salacious Pink Panther limo now in the Galpin Collection in LA, and “The Bathtub Car,” featuring two parallel, velvet-lined full-size bathtubs driven from a , he, toilet seat. The latter is also in the Galpin Collection.
The 1977 Cadillac Eldorado-based extravaganza was created by wacky custom car builder Jay Ohrberg.
So in that context the sight of the Orlando Auto Museum’s flamboyant “Elvis-mobile” is perhaps less offensive than some of Ohrberg’s other creations. Or maybe not.
“The steel car features a crown hood ornament and a body that mimics the flow of the star’s famous scarf and pant bottoms,” the museum explained in a press release. Look at the photo (above). What do you think? excessive? Or a fitting tribute to The King?
The museum points out the Elvis mobile isn’t all you’ll find within its walls. There are many other Ohrberg cars in the institution, “…including a Batmobile, Knight Rider KITT car, and the world’s longest car just to name a few… The cars mentioned are all part of the 2000+ exciting vehicles in the Orlando Auto Museum at Dezerland Action Park.”
Or, you can visit Disney World.
By comparison, the West Coast’s Elvis gala was subdued, almost reasonable. Classy, even!
Members of Legacy Cars & Coffee pose with a ’57 300C and a gold-lame-clad King poster.
roycerumsey
It was put on by the group Legacy Cars and Coffee, which has now held 31 of these Cars ‘n’ Coffee-style events, each with a theme. Recent themes have included La Dolce Vita for Italian cars, Rear-Engine Sunday, Orphan Sunday for cars whose manufacturers have since disappeared, and Longroof Sunday, for wagons. It’s worth checking out the Instagram page just to see the photography and art direction of Legacy’s Royce Rumsey @flightlegacycarsandcoffee.
The group holds its events in Tustin, California, where a former Marine Air Base is now surrounded by tract homes and industrial urban sprawl, in the same Orange County made famous by the all-too-short-lived “The OC” television drama. As Legacy says, all cars are welcome, but last Sunday they managed to corral a couple of vehicles with a more or less direct Elvis connection.
“You will note two of the photos feature a magnificent, raven-black ’57 300C and a ’67 competition Corvette,” Ramsey wrote. “The Elvis connection to both is: Elvis drove a prototype Corvette in the movie ‘Clambake,’ and Elvis owned a Stutz Blackhawk, penned by Virgil Exner, who also did the ‘forward look’ Chrysler 300s (among the entire Chrysler offering)”
That wasn’t all.
“Of course, peanut butter and banana sandwiches (Elvis’ favorite snack) were served.”
The event drew about 150 cars from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, Ramsey said.
Which coast did it better? That’s like asking whether you like your banana sandwiches fried or toasted. They’re both delicious. Let’s give the title this year to Graceland, where word is Lisa Marie showed up, and where the original pink Cadillac is parked.
Long live the King!