Elvis’ ‘guitar car’ — a pink Cadillac — now has Dezerland home

[Disney4me]

Elvis’ car has arrived in the building. It’s literally a big deal at 41 feet long.

The sparkling pink Cadillac modified to look like a guitar, has a new home at Orlando Auto Museum, an attraction inside Dezerland Park on International Drive.

The vehicle, known to be driven by Elvis Presley one time to a concert in Las Vegas, was purchased by Michael Dezer, South Florida developer, car collector and owner of Dezerland Park. The car has been in France, spending a giant stretch of time in a junkyard and atop a shopping mall.

It started as a 1970 Cadillac Eldorado, later split in the middle to fulfill a design by Jay Ohrberg. The engine has stayed upfront, then a long, think extension  — like a guitar neck — connects to the back half of the car and its one seat.

Originally, there were “strings” running from front to back, tuners flanking the hood and curved fiberglass additions to the back so that, from above, it looks like a musical instrument.

Thus, Elvis’ “guitar car.”

Kris Kirer (left) and Michael Dezer take a look at a custom made, guitar-shaped car, once driven by Elvis Presley, that arrived at Dezerland Park Orlando on Wednesday. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

“I’m not surprised with it because I know the uniqueness of the vehicles that we have on-site,” said J.J. Morales, museum curator. “It’s still a piece to behold,” he said.

Mystery surrounds the car’s post-Vegas journeys, but here’s one certainty: It needs work. It has rusted-out spots, damage to its body where modifications were attached. There’s wear around the seat and exposed wood. It’s missing a hubcap.

Under the hood, it’s missing the distributor and other vital parts, workers quickly noticed. Because the engine doesn’t run, it took 15 people to maneuver the car into a backstage area of Dezerland on Wednesday.

“It’s been decades overall since it’s been seen, and most of that time was actually outside in a junkyard, so it took all the elements,” Morales said.

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The car features curious details: Musical notes running down the sides, oversized tailfins, a snug seating area once topped with a futuristic transparent dome (but no windshield). A logo on the side, which includes a Rolling Stones-esque tongue symbol plus two women in boots and bikinis, reads “Hollywood Star Cars.”

In other ways, it’s normal-looking: The front license plate, likely a novelty, is from Tennessee registered in 1977.

The keys are in the ignition.

“Few cars capture the spirit of American music and culture the way this one does,” Dezer said in a news release. “We are proud to bring this extraordinary piece of Elvis history back to the U.S. and to make it available for fans to see up close.”

The 'guitar car' has been out of the United States for years. Orlando Auto Museum plans a restoration with public observation. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

Dezer’s purchase price of the guitar car has not been revealed. His Orlando Auto Museum has more than 2,500 rare and famous vehicles with a value of more than $200 million. The collection includes cars from movies, international oddities, military vehicles, antiques and the world’s longest limo, also a Ohrberg creation.

The guitar car originally was listed on eBay, seeking a bid of 10,000 Euros, the equivalent of about $11,000 in the U.S.

The museum plans to restore the vehicle where visitors can watch the progress. It plans to begin the public part in a month or two.

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“I don’t think he [Dezer] is going to spare any expense in the restoration process, but there’s a lot of panels and items I need to get rebuilt or made,” Morales said.

The project could take a year and cost a million.

“Between having people here come during business hours and seeing all the social media posts, we’re very excited because it’s something we don’t get to do here often,” Morales said.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

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