Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, Suspicious Minds, Heartbreak Hotel, All Shook Up, Love Me Tender, and the list can go on forever.
Elvis Presley is a juggernaut of popular culture and one of the most established musicians of the 20th century. Roughly 39 years after his death, Elvis’ restored BMW 507 Roadster will debut at Pebble Beach next month.
Two years ago, we were reporting that the King of Rock and Roll’s rusty blast from the past was selected for restoration by BMW. Meanwhile, work on the 507 is almost done. According to a press release from the organizers of the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the fabled car is no longer red.
“The color of the 507 was soon a worry. It was a Feather White when it came into the King's possession, but it was quickly covered in kisses, phone numbers, and messages - often written in red lipstick. Elvis eventually repainted the roadster a flashy red to camouflage the marks and had its 3.2-liter V8 engine rebuilt,” the mentioned release reads.
Now back to the Feather White it originally wore, the car looks exactly like it does in the main photograph of this article. As a brief reminder, Elvis had bought the BMW 507 in December 1958, just two months after he had joined the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany.
While stationed in the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, the King of R’n’R met a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, with whom he had married after seven and a half years. Contrary to popular belief, the car didn't have a significant role in kindling the love between Elvis and his significant other because the 507 was sent straight to the U.S. once it had rolled off the assembly line.
If you want to see the most famous BMW 507 of them all for yourself in real life, mark the date and be there or be square: Sunday, August 21.