SNAP BACK IN TIME – 1981 – Elvis’ cars are on display at Metrolina Motors

Published 9:50 am Tuesday, February 16, 2021

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SNAP Back In Time takes a look back at newsmakers from yesteryear.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1981

Elvis

Two of Elvis Presley’s personal vehicles, a 1972 Cadillac station wagon and a Silverado 2001 camper, were to be on display Tuesday and Wednesday at Metrolina Motors.

The cars were on display in the United States and Canada through Danny Mayo, a 30-year-old resident of Gadsden, Alabama, who acquired the vehicles, the first two sold by the superstar’s estate, through his relationship with Elvis’ late father, Vernon Presley.

“When Elvis died, I wrote a song for him,” Mayo said. “It was recorded by a couple of singers and became a sort of regional hit in the South. Elvis’ daddy heard it and he wrote me a letter. He said it really touched his heart.”

The relationship began in January 1978 and continued until Vernon’s death in June 1979.

Mayo said the 1972 Cadillac is the only station wagon General Motors built in that line. He said Elvis bought it for $27,500 and drove it until his death. It had a television, telephone, stereos and genuine leather on the interior and roof.

The truck is a 1977 Silverado with a Dooley camper, which Elvis bought in October 1976.