REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEVERLY HILLS -- Elvis Presley's pair of personal jets, one complete with gilded wash basin and plush sleeping quarters, will go under the hammer in a sealed-bid auction for a piece of mile-high rock and roll memorabilia, Julien's Auctions said on Friday.
Jets "Lisa Marie" and "Hound Dog II" that the late King of Rock and Roll designed himself will be offered together to bidders and are expected to fetch between 10 million USD and 15 million USD, the Beverly Hills, California, auction house said.
They are no longer airworthy, but have been on view for visitors at Graceland - Presley's Memphis, Tennessee estate - for the past three decades. Presley bought the Convair 880 jet from Delta Air Lines in 1975, two years before his death at age 42, for 250,000 USD. He named it "Lisa Marie" after his daughter.
Presley spent more than 300,000 USD refurbishing the jet with a penthouse bedroom, executive conference room, bar and videotape system linked to four TVs. He had the plane painted red, white and blue with his motto "TCB" - "Takin' Care of Business" - on the tail.
He purchased the eight-to-10 passenger "Hound Dog II," a Lockheed Jetstar, also in 1975 for about 900,000 USD while waiting on the refurbishment of the "Lisa Marie."
The four-engine 28-passenger Convair could fly Presley, who preferred to travel at night, up to 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers). Only 65 of the Convair 880 model jets were produced from 1959 to 1962.
The buyer also has the option to purchase several acres adjacent to Graceland to display the jets, independent of the Presley museum. An agreement between Graceland and the jets' current owners, whose identity was not disclosed, is set to expire at the end of April.
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