Unknown to fans, Rock ‘n’ Roll king Elvis Presley had an incognito car he used to move around town unnoticed, and the vehicle was recently unveiled in a YouTube video. American car enthusiast and YouTuber Ray Evernham shared a video of the behind-the-scenes moment while he toured the 1948 Chevy Panel truck in 2015.
The van was left in Elvis’ storage room in Graceland and was never publicly seen since the star’s passing in 1977. “It gives me chills to be standing by something like this with this much history,” Ray gushed as he checked under the protective sheet covering the truck.
Elvis’ 1948 Chevy Panel truck
Ray examined the Chevy, with its chassis already rusting and the passenger’s side window smashed. “You always wonder how many people drove right by this truck, or it drove right by them, and they had no idea Elvis was in it,” the creator said in awe.
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The President and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Jack Soden revealed that the truck was not only his secret means of commuting but also a testament to Elvis’ humble head start. “We’ve always surmised that Elvis connected that panel truck with his beginnings,” he explained. “Supposedly, it was the Crown Electric panel truck that he drove up to Sun Studio one day to go in and pay four dollars to make a recording of himself.”
Elvis used to drive the Chevy in disguise
The “Heartbreak Hotel” crooner reportedly drove the car out of Graceland via the back driveway to avoid being seen. “It’s part of a great story,” Soden said, adding that Elvis used the Chevy for errands including buying furniture. “Elvis would put on a cap and a jacket, and he would use the panel truck to come down his back driveway and, in essence, get away.”
The singer also owned a custom pink hand-painted Cadillac which fans often looked out for, however, the Chevy truck was more of a usual ride. It was not as fancy, lacking air conditioning, and having a wide rear for storage. It also had cloth seats and a dashboard etched using a pen with Elvis’ favorite radio stations— KDM-1468 and KDR-7017. “He had trouble adjusting the radio in this truck,” Ray quipped.
