June 11 - A Little More Interaction?

A little more conversation and a little more interaction? That could be on the cards for the late Elvis Presley if he becomes the next artist to get avatar concerts. The Financial Times reported that Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA Voyage, has held talks with Sony Music and Authentic Brands Group over potential avatar shows.

ABG owns the rights to Presley’s image and likeness, while Sony has the music rights. “There is no certainty a deal will be reached,” warned the report, which also noted that Pophouse co-founder Björn Ulvaeus recently talked publicly of his desire to “see the young Elvis come alive again”.

Pophouse, Sony and ABG declined to comment on the report, which claims the talks have focused on a commercial partnership rather than a sale of the music rights or IP.

Note: A separate production, Elvis Evolution, a collaboration between Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group and immersive specialist Layered Reality, is due to launch in London this November, with further stops planned in Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo. It is not clear if the Financial Times is referring to this project. 

Soon For Sale

After teaming up with Gibson to create an Elvis Presley themed Bonneville for a charity auction, a new Elvis Edition T120 is on the way

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has listed a filing pointing to a new Elvis Presley Edition Triumph Bonneville being in the works.

The news of the filing comes from Motorcycle.com’s Dennis Chung, and while the actual filing doesn’t give much away about the new model, it does at least prove something new from Triumph is incoming. Details on the filing confirm a bike referred to as a Bonneville T120 Elvis Editon, and it’s listed alongside the 2025 Bonneville T120 and T120 Black. It also confirms the bike engine size of 1,200cc and gearbox type - manual six-speed - all of which are identical across the three Bonneville models.

The news of this Elvis Edition Bonneville comes just a month after a specially commissioned T120 was auctioned for more than $12,000 (around £16,000) which was donated to the Presley Charitable Foundation. That bike was painted up with a custom-themed paint job, with movie film elements running along the fuel tank and Presley’s ‘TCB’ and lightning-bolt motif emblazoned on the side covers. The TCB and lightning bolt stand for ‘Taking Care of Business in a Flash’ a phrase that was synonymous with Presley when he returned to the concert circuit in the late 1960s.

Alongside the custom T120 was a custom-made Gibson Les Paul guitar. It’s still too early to confirm what the paint on the T120 Elvis Edition will be. 

We also can’t tell when the new bike will be getting officially revealed. We can though assume that the timing of the Carb filing being made public means it could be later this year, ready for sale in 2025.

Update from Triumph

The Triumph Bonneville T120 Elvis Presley Limited Edition pays tribute to a cultural icon and the biggest solo music artist in history and celebrates the ‘Memphis Mafia Triumphs’ purchased by Elvis in 1965 for his closest friends.

With a stunning design scheme inspired by the J Daar custom Bonneville created for the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, this special T120 takes styling cues from Elvis’ most iconic ’68 Comeback Special performance to perfectly captures the era's timeless style.

Limited to just 925 motorcycles worldwide, each one is individually numbered and presented with a gold disc in a unique Elvis Presley and Triumph Motorcycles record sleeve containing a signed certificate of authenticity.

This special collaboration offers motorcycle and music fans a unique opportunity to celebrate their passion for music and motorcycling with the exclusive Bonneville T120 Elvis Presley Limited Edition.

Golden Bonus Single

At Memphis Mansion you can still order the gold sparkled vinyl edition of the 'Moody Blue' LP by FTD with an exclusive promo. 

If you need this in your collection, you can contact Mathias@memphismansion.com or go to the >>> Memphis Mansion website to make an order! Happy collecting to everyone.

(Source: Financial Times / Music Ally / Visor Down / Motor Cycle / IQ magazine)