Back in 1959, Elvis bought himself a brand-new 1960 Cadillac Series 75 Fleetwood limousine. Never one to settle for ordinary, he poured his signature style into every inch of the car. The limo was decked out with gold-trimmed seats, a gold-plated television, a pure gold bumper, and—just to make sure nobody missed it—an exterior finished with 40 coats of “diamond dust pearl” paint. That’s right: the paint was literally mixed with crushed diamonds and fish scales, giving the car a shimmer that turned heads wherever it went.
Fast forward to the spring of 1965. Elvis was supposed to be out promoting his new movie, “Tickle Me,” but his schedule was packed. Enter Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s legendary manager and master of publicity stunts. Instead of sending Elvis, Parker decided to send the next best thing: his iconic Cadillac.
RCA, Elvis’s record label, rolled the limo out on a cross-country tour, making stops in 16 cities across the United States. At each location, fans flocked to catch a glimpse of the King’s over-the-top ride. Some stops reportedly drew crowds of up to 50,000 people—proving that, for Elvis fans, even his car was a superstar.
The Cadillac’s solo tour was a stroke of marketing genius. It kept Elvis in the public eye, promoted his movie, and gave fans a taste of the King’s larger-than-life persona—even if he wasn’t there in person. And let’s be honest: only Elvis could pull off sending a gold-plated, diamond-dusted Cadillac on tour and have it be almost as big a hit as he was.
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