Elvis Presley’s Private Jets Are For Sale

The King’s Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II are expected to go for $10 million.

There are few stories more sad than that of Elvis Presley in his Fat Era. Drug-addled and insane, a porcine shadow of his former beautiful self, ‘70s vintage Elvis Presley was the most popular showman in the Heartland. When he died of a drug overdose in 1977, his worth was estimated a relatively modest $10 million. 

Of course, no amount of money can buy taste, but it can buy private jets. So back in 1975, just two years before his death, the King bought two of them. The first was the Lisa Marie, named after Presley’s daughter. It’s a Convair 880 that he purchased from Delta Air Lines for a relatively modest $250,000, and he had it outfitted with gold bathroom fixtures and a 50-speaker stereo system—as well as copious shag carpeting. The Lisa Marie could fit 29 party people, and the tail had the Elvis signature logo “TCB”, which stands for “Takin’ Care of Business.” The same year, he dropped a princely $900,000 for a the Hound Dog II, a Lockheed JetStar that seats 10. 

Now, Julien’s Auctions is taking sealed bids on the two aircraft, which, despite no longer being airworthy, are expected to sell for $10 million. Open the slideshow below to have a look inside the King’s flying shag machines. 

Photos by Bettmann/Corbis / AP Images