Elvis Presley's Private Jet Is Up for Auction
By Lale Arikoglu. Photos: Courtesy liveauctioneers.com.
If you’re in the market for a private jet (and rose gold isn’t quite to your taste) then good news—you can now bid on a custom-made one designed by Elvis Presley. The 1962 Lockheed Jetstar Jet, which the late singer owned along with his father, Vernon Presley, is estimated to sell for between $2 million and $3.5 million when the gavel drops this Saturday, May 27.
Complete with plush, red velvet seats, marble bathroom sinks, gold details, and even a red shag carpet, the "Lost" jet, as it is known, was one of three planes owned by Elvis—the other two, named the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II, remain permanently on show at Graceland—and for the past 35 years it has been privately owned, residing in an airfield in Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell International Air Center, or "the boneyard", is home to rows upon rows of retired planes, and it has become a destination among fans of the King. (Apparently, the dry desert air provides the perfect storage conditions for retired jets.) While the details for the lot don't reveal much about how Elvis used the plane, he was said to have been especially attached to it, due to owning it with his father.
The plane won’t be taking off anytime soon, though: Having never been restored since Elvis first purchased it, it currently lacks a functioning cockpit and is missing its engines. But for the nerdiest of bidders, it’s an opportunity to own a piece of aeronautical history, as well as a slice of pop culture. According to the auction site, LiveAuctioneers.com, the jet is one of just 204 aircraft manufactured between 1957 and 1978 in a joint project by Jetstar and Lockheed. As the Telegraph reports, the latter later became Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest aerospace, security, defense and technology companies. At five days away from the auction, the highest bid is currently $126,000.
Of course, the singer’s plane isn’t the only piece of celebrity memorabilia up for grabs. Other lots include a selection of mysterious handwritten letters from Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and a pair of pink ballet slippers once owned by Madonna—as well as a diamond and gold ring worn by Elvis on his Hawaii tour, which took place shortly before his death in 1977. According to the Miami Herald, sources say the jet's current owner hopes that Priscilla Presley might wind up as the highest bidder and have it moved to Graceland, where Elvis is buried.
This story originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveler.
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