Dolly Parton could afford to buy any car she wanted but her favorite was a humble American classic that she drove for over a decade

The world is mourning the loss of one of America’s favorite people, Dolly Parton, who sadly passed away yesterday.

The Queen of Country had a long-standing love affair with a car brand, and one particular gold sedan became a favorite that she kept for more than a decade.

Under its hood was a V8 engine, while the cabin offered the kind of old-school American luxury that made the car a perfect match for Parton’s larger-than-life personality.

And despite having access to some seriously extravagant cars, she ultimately held onto this particular model for years.

Dolly Parton’s favorite car

In between all her singing, merch promotion, and providing children with books to read, the Jolene singer needed a way to get from A to B, and Parton had a pretty cool car collection.

Her favorite car, however, was a 1997 Cadillac DeVille d’Elegance, finished in gold and powered by a 4.6-liter V8 producing around 275 horsepower.

While it was hardly an exotic supercar, it turns out that it was arguably part of its appeal.

The DeVille was a big, comfortable American luxury sedan designed around effortless cruising rather than outright performance.

It had the imposing presence you’d expect from a Cadillac of the era, along with a spacious interior and plenty of traditional luxury features.

For the singer, though, the car represented more than just transportation.

Her relationship with Cadillac went back to the early stages of her career, when she had previously spoken about how buying her first Cadillac felt like a sign that she had finally made it after growing up extremely poor in rural Tennessee.

By the time she was one of the biggest stars in country music, she could have filled a garage with virtually anything she wanted, but she continued to have a soft spot for the American brand.

Parton’s loyalty to Cadillac even resulted in the company producing a special edition named after her in 2004.

The Dolly Parton DTS Platinum Edition featured a White Diamond exterior and a signature emblem, showing just how closely the singer had become associated with the brand.

The American classic stayed with Dolly for over a decade

The 1997 DeVille wasn’t simply another car in Parton’s collection.

She reportedly kept the American classic and drove it for more than a decade before eventually giving it up for a new Cadillac.

The car was later added to the Hollywood Star Cars collection in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where it became an attraction in its own right.

Cadillac had already become an important part of Parton’s story decades earlier.

In 1972, fellow country star Porter Wagoner gave her a custom Cadillac Eldorado as a Christmas present while they were working together on The Porter Wagoner Show.

It’s easy to imagine why the big Cadillac suited her because of the gold paint, enormous proportions, and V8 power gave it plenty of presence without trying too hard, while its emphasis on comfort made far more sense for everyday driving than a low-slung exotic.

And that makes Parton’s choice particularly charming.

Someone who could afford virtually any luxury car in the world ended up becoming especially attached to a relatively ordinary American sedan from the 1990s.

It may not have been the most expensive or exotic car she ever owned, but her long relationship with the DeVille proved that sometimes a favorite car has more to do with memories and personality than its price tag.

So while the world remembers a singing icon, the world of motoring also mourns her for her commitment and loyalty to an iconic and humble American classic.