The Fleetwood Brougham was a luxury model produced by Cadillac in the late 70s and early to mid-80s, although the carmaker would eventually drop the Fleetwood moniker in 1987, giving rise to the 1988 Cadillac Brougham, which aside from the name, was pretty much identical to that 1986 version that held both names.
This also happened to be one of the 200+ Cadillacs bought by Elvis Presley in his lifetime, and if you’re a fan of The King, as well as classic Caddys, you might be interested to read about this 1975 model, now getting auctioned off through Car & Classic. Also, the auction is set to kick off January 8, which happens to be Elvis’ birthday.
According to the ad, Presley bought the car himself from Madison Cadillac, and all the paperwork is supposedly there to validate all the facts. The paperwork on this car is said to be more extensive than on any other car in the Elvis Museum.
In terms of specs, he went with the sunroof option, as well as the hood-mounted ‘Goddess’, spending $12,512 in total – yes, that’s what a brand-new Cadillac used to cost back in the 1970s. If you adjust for inflation, that comes down to roughly $65,000 by 2022 standards. That’s more than what you’d spend on a 2022 CT4-V Blackwing or the fully electric 2023 Lyriq.
After driving his cars for a while, Elvis would then donate them to his friends and family. This particular Fleetwood Broughman model, which by the way is powered by a 500 ci V8, was given to Elvis’ doctor in 1976, physician Dr. G. Nichopoulos.
The good doctor then drove the car for about 10 years, before selling it to the current owner, who himself sold it in 1990 and then bought it back again a second time.
“You don’t purchase this car because it’s the ultimate example of American automotive greatness in the Seventies,” said Car & Classic editor Chris Pollitt. “You are buying a piece of original history, a period chariot belonging to one of the most famous showmen in the world. Shame it’s not pink.”