Elvis Presley's 1973 Stutz Blackhawk III has returned to Graceland. Elvis fans can see the car on exhibit in the automobile Museum at Elvis Presley's Graceland. Graceland made the announcement today and shared photos via their Facebook page.
The Stutz has been carefully preserved, by Charlotte, North Carolina resident Walt Hollifield. After preservation, Elvis Stutz was on exhibit at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Elvis purchased the 1973 Blackhawk III on September 6, 1974, through a General Motors lease agreement after putting down a $20,000 deposit. It had Pontiac’s 230-horsepower V-8, a red leather interior, and an 18-karat gold trim package. Elvis put a total of 8,450 miles on the Stutz.
Three months of painstaking preservation work was completed by Hollifield and his crew. “Basically, the inside of this car hadn’t been touched since Elvis died,” said Hollifield, one of the country’s leading car restorers as a hobby. “So our goal was to maintain the DNA of Elvis in this car. That meant no washing of the windows or scrubbing of the Italian-made leather seats. Nicks and dents were removed and there was minor cleaning done to the inside and out of the Stutz." Spark plugs and the fuel filter were also replaced, along with the dry-rotted Firestone tires with a fresh set from that period. The Stutz is basically the same as the night Elvis drove it.
sources: Elvis Presley's Graceland and Charlotte News Observer
The Stutz has been carefully preserved, by Charlotte, North Carolina resident Walt Hollifield. After preservation, Elvis Stutz was on exhibit at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Elvis purchased the 1973 Blackhawk III on September 6, 1974, through a General Motors lease agreement after putting down a $20,000 deposit. It had Pontiac’s 230-horsepower V-8, a red leather interior, and an 18-karat gold trim package. Elvis put a total of 8,450 miles on the Stutz.
Three months of painstaking preservation work was completed by Hollifield and his crew. “Basically, the inside of this car hadn’t been touched since Elvis died,” said Hollifield, one of the country’s leading car restorers as a hobby. “So our goal was to maintain the DNA of Elvis in this car. That meant no washing of the windows or scrubbing of the Italian-made leather seats. Nicks and dents were removed and there was minor cleaning done to the inside and out of the Stutz." Spark plugs and the fuel filter were also replaced, along with the dry-rotted Firestone tires with a fresh set from that period. The Stutz is basically the same as the night Elvis drove it.
sources: Elvis Presley's Graceland and Charlotte News Observer
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