Elvis Presley’s Ford Ranchero

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Elvis was the swivel-hipped entertainer of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s who helped make rock n’ roll a household term. He was also quite a car guy and a 1967 Ranchero pickup on display at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain in Morrilton, Ark., is a reminder of the passion the singer had for a cool set of wheels.

A sign on an easel near the black pickup says that Elvis took his fiancée Priscilla Beaulieu on a road trip through the back roads of Mississippi in January 1967. He wanted to show her his hometown of Tupelo. On their way there, they stopped to look at a beautiful ranch that was for sale in Horn Lake, Miss.

Elvis was looking for a place where he could get away with Priscilla and escape from the pressures of producing records, putting on concerts and acting in movies. He wanted to buy a beautiful place called the Circle G Farm Ranch.

Presley did purchase the Circle G Farm Ranch and it became known as the “Honeymoon Ranch.” Once he owned the place, he felt he had to have a “Cowboy’s Cadillac” to roam around his new spread. Elvis bought the 1967 Ford Ranchero on Valentine’s Day of that year. It was purchased from Entricken Motors in Hernando, Miss. Elvis entered his address on the purchase paperwork as “Graceland.”

The Museum of Automobiles has that document on exhibit near the Ranchero. There is also a photograph of Elvis Presley’s brother Vernon driving the truck with a Circle G Farms Ranch emblem on the door. The Ranchero has the Vehicle Identification Number 7K4BC178949.

Elvis and Pricilla were married on May 1, 1967, just shortly after he bought the truck. They enjoyed riding their horses, ranching and driving the Ranchero on the ranch for less than a year. Then, the pressures of Elvis’ movie career in Hollywood forced the sale of the Circle G. On July 28, 1967, Elvis traded the Ranchero to a Cadillac dealer for a new Cadillac. The bill of sale for the car from Elvis to the dealer indicates that it was sold to Madison Cadillac, Inc., of Shelby, Tenn, for “$1 and other considerations” by Elvis Presley of Circle G Ranch.

Thanks to Alan Hoelzeman of The Museum of Automobiles for helping with this story. The museum is located at Petit Jean Mountain, 8 Jones Lane. Morrilton, AR 72110. Call (501) 727-5427 or visit www.museumofautos.com.