In early March, 1955 Elvis bought his first Pink Cadillac. It was a pink and white 1954 Cadillac and provided transportation for Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys for about three months. The car went up in smoke when a brake lining caught fire, on the road between Hope and Texarkana, Ark. on June 5, 1955.
On July 7, 1955 Elvis purchased his second Pink Cadillac, a new 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 in blue with black roof, to replace the Cadillac that was burned. He had the car repainted by a neighbor who designed a pink color for Elvis and named the color 'Elvis Rose'. This is the one that he gave to his mother, probably the most famous car in the world. Gladys Presley would always proudly point to it as 'her' car.
Gladys Presley never had a driver's license and Elvis drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955 - 1956. They had a serious accident in Texarkana, Texas on September 2, 1955. Scotty Moore drove the pink and black Cadillac Fleetwood into an oncoming vehicle that was in the process of passing a pickup truck. Scotty recalls the Cadillac as requiring approximately $1,000 worth of repairs.
In February 1956, Elvis had the upholstery replaced as well as getting some paint work done.
This may well have been when the black roof is painted white.