Even for a diehard Elvis Presley fan, $6 million is a lot of money to throw away on restoring his last private jet, even if only hypothetically and knowing it would still not make it air-worthy again. But there is still life in the old, abandoned, and now wing-less Lockheed jet.
Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann biopic with Austin Butler in the titular role, did not win the Best Actor award at the 2023 edition of the Academy Awards, but it did help shine the spotlight on all things-Elvis. This includes his lost and found, abandoned and decrepit 1962 Lockheed JetStar L-1329 that The King bought as a Christmas present to himself in 1976. As one does, when one is a multi-millionaire.
Even though this is the least documented of Elvis’ purchases and chances are he never really stepped foot inside the aircraft, much less fly in it, the Lockheed jet became an overnight star when it was announced it would sell at auction. It had been re-discovered at Roswell International Air Center (ROW) in Roswell, New Mexico, where it had been abandoned for years and, while in very bad condition, it preserved the very Presley-like interior with red velvet and gold hardware.
James Webb, an aircraft enthusiast and YouTuber, bought it for $234,000 before taxes, which he described as the biggest and most important purchase of his life, especially considering the state of the plane. He’s now churning out Elvis plane-related content, because bills don’t pay themselves, as we all know.
Webb has already been told that it would take a $6 million restoration to bring the jet back to its former glory (sans Elvis, sadly), but even that wouldn’t be enough to get it up the air again. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that Webb doesn’t dispose of that kind of money, the jet is grounded for life. So how about turning it into a ground vehicle?
Long story short, Webb is turning the airplane into an RV. He reckons that, if Dolly Parton can rent her Gypsy Wagon 1986 Prevost tour bus for as much as $10,000 a night, there’d be a market for an Elvis-linked Airbnb, especially if it would be something that could travel across the country. Webb doesn’t go into the specifics of the build, assuming he has the details ironed out already, but he does point to the obvious: the plane has everything it needs to be turned into an RV, from wheels to a generator, water system, and entertainment options.
As of this writing, the plane has had its wings cut off and has been loaded onto a trailer and moved to Florida, where it will presumably undergo conversion. Webb will probably not be able to charge the kind of money Dolly is asking for her tour bus, but airplane RV conversions are not exactly a dime a dozen, so he could be turning over a profit for this reason alone. He’s also considering keeping the red velvet seats and gold hardware to remind people that this is “the king of the road,” and that’s a great idea.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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