Did you know the yellow go-kart in Baz Luhrman’s Elvis movie was made in Australia?
Graham Powles, a former National champion and renowned kart builder/restorer, built the one-off custom machine specifically for the Hollywood production, which was filmed in Australia.
“In 2020 I was approached by Warner Brothers to build a kart similar to what Elvis owned and drove around Graceland for fun in the late 50s early 60s” Powles posted on social media.
“I had an original photo of Elvis in his kart from that time that helped me to design and build this kart for the movie.
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“The movie crew chose the colour for the kart so it would stand out on screen. After completing the kart I was on the movie set for three days while they filmed the kart scene. The filming took about three hours and resulted in less than 30 seconds of fame in the movie.
“During the movie shoot some parts of the kart were altered to suit the scene, eg removal of the Nassau panel and treaded tyres fitted for a grass scene.
“A stuntman drove the kart in the movie scene, I was then asked to drive the kart to get the sound effects for the scene trying a range of different exhausts.
“It was a lot of fun to be involved in and to see the movie making process. The kart is now a part of my kart collection.”
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