Elvis' Pink Cadillac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Elvis' 1955 Pink Cadillac Fleetwood 60 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Cadillac |
| Class | Full-size luxury car |
In November 1955 Sam Phillips, RCA executive Steve Sholes, Hank Snow, Elvis Presley, his mother Gladys, and several others meet at Sun Studios, where Elvis signs a two-year contract with RCA records. Elvis receives $4,500 and 5 percent of future sales; Colonel Tom Parker receives $1,500; and Sam Phillips receives $35,000.[1] Shortly thereafter Elvis purchases a new Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 in blue. He has the car repainted by a neighbor who designed a pink color for Elvis and named the color "Elvis Rose". Once the car was finished Elvis gave it to his mother Gladys as a gift.[2]
Mrs. Gladys Presley never had a driver's license and Elvis drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955 - 1956. They had a serious accident in Texarkana, Texas in 1956 but the car was repaired. His army buddy, Joe Esposito later used the pink Cadillac when he joined Elvis at Graceland in 1960 when they both returned from military service in Germany. "Diamond" Joe was hired on as Elvis' road manager and eventually became Elvis' closest friend. Joe served as his best man at his wedding in 1969 and was with him until Elvis' death in August 1977.
The car was brought to the front drive entrance of Graceland during the visit of President Bush and the Prime Minister of Japan during their visit in June, 2006.
The original pink Cadillac remains on permanent display in the auto museum at Graceland and is reportedly the single most famous car in the world. In December 2006 the historians of Graceland granted the request of Bonnie and Stewart Krentzman of River Vale, NJ to document and provide them with every detail of the car so that they could create the exact "twin sister" of the famous pink Cadillac. It was stipulated in the agreement that the twin sister would be offered at no charge to breast cancer fund raising organizations to help raise money for breast cancer research and education. This car has begun to appear throughout the US in April 2007 at many Susan G. Komen, Avon and Revlon Walks in addtion to being used by many grassroots breast cancer organizations.
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[edit] Other Pink Cadillac Information
Rocker Bruce Springsteen was inspired at an early age by Elvis Presley and sang about a pink Cadillac in 1983.
The Franklin Mint and many other companies have built and sold miniature replicas of this famous car.
Pink Cadillacs have also been the automobiles of recognition for their top sales people by Mary Kay Cosmetics.
A pink 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible has now become an icon car for car collectors and they too have been sold as miniature replicas and featured in songs and videos about the pink Cadillac.
While no manufacturer offered pink as a standard color, after the public attention to Elvis' car many individual car owners in the 1950s began to paint their cars various shades of pink.
[edit] Songs and Films About Pink Cadillacs
The pink Cadillac has been memorialized in many songs.
Pink Cadillac (album), a 1979 album by John Prine
Pink Cadillac (song), a 1983 song by Bruce Springsteen
Pink Cadillac (remake), released in 1988 by Natalie Cole
Pink Cadillac (film), a 1989 film starring Clint Eastwood
