“Elvis Presley's jet had gold-plated seat belts.”

Verdict: True, and still on display at Graceland. Elvis bought a 1958 Convair 880 from Delta in 1975, named it *Lisa Marie* after his daughter, and spent more than $800,000 refitting it with a bedroom, conference room, lounge, gold-flecked bathroom sinks, suede chairs and 24-karat gold-plated seat-belt buckles — including one on the bed, because regulations required a restraint. It was the most extravagant private airliner of its day.

The Convair 880 was a four-engine jetliner built to compete with the 707 and DC-8 and outsold by both; barely 65 were made. Elvis paid about $250,000 for Delta's retired example and had it converted in Fort Worth to seat 28. The refit added a queen-size bed with a gold-plated seat belt, a bathroom with gold-flecked washbasins, a conference room, leather-topped tables, and a sound system considered lavish for 1975.

He named it Lisa Marie and called it his 'Flying Graceland'; the tail carries the letters TCB — Taking Care of Business — with a lightning bolt. Legend has it he once flew from Memphis to Denver for a peanut-butter-and-bacon sandwich, which the restaurant involved has been happy to confirm ever since.

Elvis also owned a Lockheed JetStar, Hound Dog II, and briefly a second JetStar. After his death in 1977 the Lisa Marie changed hands several times before being parked at Graceland, where it opened to visitors in 1984. The aircraft was put up for auction in 2017 and in the end retained; Graceland repainted it in 2023.

The gold seat belt is the detail every tour guide mentions, and every tour guide is right.

“Elvis Presley's jet had gold-plated seat belts.”

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