Elvis Presley was the king of rock and roll before he passed away in the late 1970s. As such, most aspects of his life, including his love of cars, have been well documented over the years. But there’s one part of the King’s life that many people probably haven’t heard of: his beloved 1948 Chevrolet Panel Truck that he used to sneak past his adoring fans.
The Chevy truck was discovered this spring after a camera crew came to the King’s Memphis mansion, Graceland, to shoot a documentary on the last car that Elvis drove. It’s during this trip that Graceland's staff told the crew that they had a car in their collection that was one of the oldest pieces that Elvis owned, one that not many fans knew about.
Being the biggest superstar of his day, Elvis had to learn how to creatively avoid the press and his rabid fans, who would park outside of his home on almost a daily basis. One of the ways the singer used to avoid the crowds was to slip away in his Chevy truck - a feat that usually went unnoticed even by his own security team.
According to Graceland historians, Elvis would don a baseball cap and heavy jacket, then drive his Chevy panel truck out of Graceland's back entrance. One time, the King even broke down on the side of the road and couldn't find help from his own staff, as they didn't recognize their boss.
This is the first time the Chevy truck has been shown to the public since Elvis’ death. Check out the video below to see the rock-n-roll artifact uncovered after all these years. If you would like to test drive the most recent version of Elvis’ panel truck, stop by our Chevy dealership in Evansville and take a look at the all-new 2015 Chevy Suburban.
