All shook up

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How could we have missed this one? This golden promo picture was taken late last year at the Beaulieu motor museum. They’d just got hold of a coachbuilt Cadillac formerly owned by Elvis Presley and the lady in Elvis lookalike jumpsuit next to it is no one less than Lady Montagu. The accompanying press release states: “One of the first people to see the car at Beaulieu was Lady Fiona Montagu, wife of the museum’s founder, Lord Montagu. Lady Montagu has been a life-long fan of the King and posed for a picture beside the car in her own version of Elvis’s famous Las Vegas white jumpsuit. Lady Montagu said: “I am a huge fan and had the costume made to wear at an Elvis themed fund raising evening we held in the museum last year.” We’d nearly say we can’t help falling in love with her for that.

Now, as with Bond cars of one sort of another, every self-respecting motor museum these days has an Elvis- or at least Elvis themed Cadillac on display. And since it is believed that the good man bought over 200 Cadies in his life - several of which he gave away to complete strangers, just for the fun of it - there have to be plenty to choose from. This car, however, is the very last Cadillac owned by The King and believed to have been driven by himself on the day prior to his death. Beaulieu states: “The car is in original condition and still has the CB radio installed that Elvis used to communicate with the kitchen at Graceland and to the guard house outside Graceland, to open the gates.” Lady Montagu, have you tried that out yet?

(Words Jeroen Booij, picture courtesy Beaulieu National Motor Museum)
 

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