Priscilla Presley Reunites With A First Love
Written by Steve Geelow Photography Christopher Ameruoso
It’s often said, “You never forget your first love.” So when your first love happens to be Elvis Presley, those words could never have more resonance. Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s love story is well documented and while Elvis’ only bride has many fond recollections of ‘The King’, there’s one, to this day, she still holds very dear - the memory of the first car he ever gifted her. It was a 1964 Corvair, she loved it, and when she recently reunited with that other first love for a photo-shoot (by photographer and Corvair owner Christopher Ameruoso) Presley found herself flooded with emotion.
“The car was a graduation present from Elvis,” she reminisced. “He gave it to me in 1963, so it was a 1964 model; red with a black interior and yes, I loved it. Can you imagine? It was my very first car and the fact that Elvis picked it out for me made it very, very, special.”
Sitting in the car at the shoot, Presley was transported back to Graceland circa 1963 and that first day Elvis handed her those precious keys. “I remember taking Elvis for a drive in it,” she mused with a laugh. “But only around the circular drive at Graceland, he didn't want to be seen with a girl driving him in the car, so he or one of the guys would only drive.”
Presley, a car enthusiast himself, was renowned for owning a fleet of vehicles - predominantly of the oversized gold Cadillac variety. While his bride-to-be at the time did share his passion for those luxury vehicles, she preferred her Corvair. Its practicality made a lot more sense to the then 18-year-old. “I loved the compact fit of that car,” she shared. “It was so easy to drive and park. Cars were larger in those days, so this was the perfect car for me.
“It had such style and was different than cars that were normally on the road,” she continued. “It was sporty in its look and feel. There weren't that many around back then and I liked that.”
Written by Steve Geelow Photography Christopher Ameruoso
It’s often said, “You never forget your first love.” So when your first love happens to be Elvis Presley, those words could never have more resonance. Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s love story is well documented and while Elvis’ only bride has many fond recollections of ‘The King’, there’s one, to this day, she still holds very dear - the memory of the first car he ever gifted her. It was a 1964 Corvair, she loved it, and when she recently reunited with that other first love for a photo-shoot (by photographer and Corvair owner Christopher Ameruoso) Presley found herself flooded with emotion.
“The car was a graduation present from Elvis,” she reminisced. “He gave it to me in 1963, so it was a 1964 model; red with a black interior and yes, I loved it. Can you imagine? It was my very first car and the fact that Elvis picked it out for me made it very, very, special.”
Sitting in the car at the shoot, Presley was transported back to Graceland circa 1963 and that first day Elvis handed her those precious keys. “I remember taking Elvis for a drive in it,” she mused with a laugh. “But only around the circular drive at Graceland, he didn't want to be seen with a girl driving him in the car, so he or one of the guys would only drive.”
Presley, a car enthusiast himself, was renowned for owning a fleet of vehicles - predominantly of the oversized gold Cadillac variety. While his bride-to-be at the time did share his passion for those luxury vehicles, she preferred her Corvair. Its practicality made a lot more sense to the then 18-year-old. “I loved the compact fit of that car,” she shared. “It was so easy to drive and park. Cars were larger in those days, so this was the perfect car for me.
“It had such style and was different than cars that were normally on the road,” she continued. “It was sporty in its look and feel. There weren't that many around back then and I liked that.”
According to Presley, she lovingly cherished that car for three years before the hectic life of limousine’s, private planes and being married to ‘The King’ eclipsed her need to drive. “I honestly don't know what happened to it,” she admits. “And I’ve often wondered where she is? I [still] miss that little car.”
To this day the ever-youthful Presley admires the unique styling of the Corvair admitting, “I’d love to own another.” The only problem is the one she has her eye on isn’t for sale. “I would like to have the one I'm sitting in in these photos,” she smiled. “That would be nice as it’s a beautiful car, only it belongs to Christopher.”
Needless to say, should Ameruoso decide to part with his pride and joy, a sale to Presley should be pretty easy.
