Elvis Presley's private jet has a new owner after being stranded in the Roswell, New Mexico desert for nearly four decades.
Priscilla Presley, 77, the singer's ex-wife and the mother of his only child, the late Lisa Marie Presley, was present at the Mecum Kissimmee Collector Car auction in Florida on January 8, which would have been Elvis Presley's 88th birthday.
The initial bid for the 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar was $100,000, but the price gradually increased until the hammer dropped at $260,000. The new owner has not been recognized and placed bids via telephone.
The Lockheed was purchased for $840,000 in December 1976, less than a year before Elvis's death in August 1977.
It was one of numerous private aircraft that the singer of "Love Me Tender" owned.
The Grammy-winning artist owned a custom Convair 880 named the 'Lisa Marie' with the call sign Hound Dog one, as well as a JetStar with the call sign Hound Dog two.
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Priscilla Presley characterized the Jailhouse Rock singer's passion for collecting automobiles and airplanes as his
pleasure.'
The exterior of the red-and-white aircraft has been weathered by four decades of exposure to the desert sun, and the cockpit is somewhat torn and old, yet the passenger compartment appeared virtually brand new.
The decor features red velvet-upholstered chairs and sofas, red carpet on the floor and red walls.
According to the auction website, the onboard entertainment system included a television, RCA VCR player, audio cassette player, headphone connections with audio controls at each seat, and a cassette player.
Additional design aspects included gold accents, such as ashtrays.
The nine-seat aircraft features a spacious restroom and a galley or kitchen space with a beverage dispenser and a microwave oven.
According to the Robb Report, the final owner of the aircraft was a California businessman named Jim Gagliardi, who purchased the airplane at auction in 2017 for $430,000.
The intention was to deploy the jet as a tourist attraction at his earth moving equipment company in Madera.
The plane needed to be dismantled before transfer, thus the idea never materialized and the owner never visited it during the six years it was his.
The most recent transaction took place just two days before Austin Butler received a Best Actor Golden Globe award for his portrayal of the hitmaker in Elvis, and four days before Lisa Marie died from heart failure at age 54.
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