Elvis Once Tested How Bullet-Resistant Cadillacs Are, Here's How It Went

Elvis Presley is known for many things — the voice, the hips, the jumpsuits — but one of his less discussed but equally documented habits was also shooting things. In fact, the singer's knack for firing his gun at inanimate objects that disappointed him was such a common phenomenon in his life that it was even parodied in The Simpsons. While televisions were frequent targets for The King's disappointment, in early 1969, a Gold Cadillac Eldorado joined the list.

Elvis purchased his gold Cadillac Eldorado in Memphis in December 1967, after it grabbed his attention on the lot. It was a gorgeous Topaz Gold Firemist convertible with a black vinyl top — perfectly suited for the ostentatious Presley. Over the next year, this Eldorado became Elvis' primary daily driver — used regularly by himself and his wife Priscilla. The Eldorado was something of a landmark car that still held its own among Elvis' collection, which featured such cars as his BMW 507 and Stutz Blackhawk — the last car Elvis drove before his death. Released in 1967, the Eldorado was Cadillac's answer to the growing personal luxury car market, and sat at the very top of that segment in price. It arrived with an unusual-for-the-time front-wheel-drive configuration but didn't stray too far from the industry norms with a 429-cubic-inch V8 mated to an automatic transmission.

About thirteen months after buying it, Elvis had trouble getting the Eldorado started one day. Although we may never know exactly why he had engine trouble that day, we sure do know that he drew a handgun and shot a round through the right front fender. The 1960s American land yacht, the car absorbed the shot without complaint and remained fully drivable while the bullet hole remained.

Luckily for Elvis, the '68 Eldorado's front fender sits well clear of anything mechanically vital. Shooting the fender of his car helped Elvis let off some steam while leaving no long-term consequences — in fact, it may have actually increased the car's value.After the shooting incident, the car was passed on to Priscilla's stepfather, who used it occasionally but mostly kept it garaged. The gold convertible would eventually make its way to an Australian businessman who saw promotional value in the provenance and displayed it as part of an Elvis Presley exhibition. 

The bullet hole in the right front fender is still there — unrepaired, presumably because it is the most interesting thing about any 1968 Eldorado in existence. Elvis' Eldorado surfaced for sale in 2014 with full documentation, including the original registration. Whether that value is down to the Topaz Gold Firemist paint, the car's overall rarity, or the bullet hole left by the King of Rock and Roll is left to the new buyer's interpretation.