The online auction site eBay has long been the place where unique things are sold. And this time, it's no different.
From the prototype of the original iPhone that was unlike anything like the original, the one out of nine Lamborghini Veneno Roadster sold for a record-breaking price, the microphone Cardi B discarded after she used it, a family that bought a World War II battleship to preserve history, a seller who sold several sunken Germany's most powerful World War I battleships, the record-breaking a $168 million gigayacht, and more. The list just continues.
This time, it’s the 1970 Cadillac Eldorado — famously transformed into a 'Guitar Car' for Elvis Presley by the legendary custom car builder Jay Ohrberg.
Elvis himself later drove the striking creation to one of his Las Vegas concerts, drawing crowds and sparking excitement.
The one-of-a-kind car is listed on eBay out of Orléans, France.
This particular car began its life as a normal 1970 Cadillac Eldorado, a luxury grand tourer defined by its excess size and power.
Under its long hood, resides a massive 8.2 liter V8. The engine that is also known as the 'Cadillac 500 V8,' gets its name from the 500 cubic inches of displacement, considered the largest-displacement V8 ever fitted into a production passenger car at the time — a towering symbol of Detroit’s muscle era.
It delivered 400 brake horsepower and a 550 lb-ft of torque — more than enough to move the Eldorado’s substantial curb weight of 4,696 lbs (2,130 kg)., through a 3-speed automatic gearbox.
The car was brought to Ohrberg, whose name is etched into custom car history, best remembered for his extravagant, imaginative creations that danced between art and engineering.
The man is famous for creating the 'Panthermobile' in 1969 for The Pink Panther Show, 'KITT' from Knight Rider 2000, the 'Flintmobile' for the The Flintstones, the 'DeLorean' from Back to the Future, the 'General Lee' for The Dukes of Hazzard, and even the functional, street-driven 'Piano Car' that could be played while on the move.
Not to mention that Ohrberg also designed 'The American Dream,' a 100 foot long stretched limousine that made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s longest car.
And this Guitar Car was an extension of Ohrberg’s legacy.
Ohrberg masterminded the car for the King of Rock ’n’ Roll himself, by fusing music and machinery into a rolling stage.
To bring the audacious vision of creating a car that looks like a guitar, Jay Ohrberg and his team began by taking a normal 1970 Cadillac Eldorado and cutting it cleanly in half, just behind the A-pillar.
From there, they crafted an entirely new chassis by welding tubular steel, and made that as a new frame to bridge the gap between the front and rear ends of the original Cadillac.
After that, the entire rear section was given a redesigned body that resembles the curved, elegant form of a guitar, complete with exaggerated proportions and sweeping, sculptural lines. Much of the new bodywork, including the dramatic rear jet-like tail fins that soared like rockstar wings, was fabricated from fiberglass, allowing for more creative freedom in shaping the fantasy vehicle.
When the Guitar Car was first unveiled, it included delightful, whimsical details: faux guitar tuners and strings stretched across its body, a fretboard running up the center, and clever positioning of the driver’s seat — right where the sound hole or pickups would typically be on a real guitar.
Ohrberg and his team worked for 2 years on this 41-foot-long (12.5 meters) guitar-shaped car.
It was a showpiece not just of custom car craftsmanship, but of pure imagination, blurring the line between automobile and musical instrument.
That car is literally part showpiece, part sculpture, and entirely unforgettable.
But "unforgettable" only to fans of Elvis.
This is because the car is largely forgotten, and how exactly it ended up crossing the Atlantic and arriving (and abandoned) in Europe remains a mystery.
But what is known is that, Elvis used the car, with much media attention at the time, especially when he arrived using it at one of his Las Vegas concerts. Elvis was a Cadillac lover, and had a reputation for buying Cadillacs for people he met as gifts.
This time, at €10,000, the car is listed as a non-running vehicle, and that it requires restoration to restore its scraped paint and rusted chassis, even before getting to the interior or engine.
"The purpose of this vehicle is mainly for decoration of restaurants, showrooms, exhibitions, museums, etc.," the item description for the listing explained.
Regardless, the car is part of history, even when history barely remembers it.
