The last motor trip most of us will ever take is in a hearse. In honor of Halloween (boo!) here’s an assortment of interesting funerary vehicles.
Yes, hearses. Known in the trade as funeral coaches. At one time, they were also the favored transportation of surfers and professional musicians—you know, both stylish and practical. When Neil Young wrote, “With your chrome heart shining in the sun, long may you run,” it was in tribute to his first car, a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse.
There are collectors of funeral vehicles. These enthusiasts prefer to call them professional cars, including ambulances and flower cars in their field of interest. It makes sense these cars would find fans: As the coachbuilding era of luxury cars came to a close, the trade continued on, performing conversions of premium cars—Packards, Cadillacs, Buicks, et. al—into funeral vehicles. There were dozens of companies that specialized in building these unique machines, and a handful exist to this day. Funeral cars are as interesting as they are macabre. Here’s an extremely random survey.
Thank you for including the “Harold and Maude” Jag!
I LOVED that movie and I love the Jaguar XKE hearse. However, the Studebaker child’s hearse was creepy. Child’s hearse? Really?
#36 – who’s the stiff?
William Hults
I’ve now confused myself. You gave an answer, but the motorcycle hearse picture is a different number than what I asked about.
And that name … can I presume he is related to the person buying the Packard Plant?
The photo slider is designed to throw up the photos in a different order for the user every time it loads. MCG did that on purpose so he wouldn’t have to obsess about the order on every story. But since that was the only stiff visible, it had to be him.
Hults is now back in the running!
Ahh, thanks for the update. I don’t feel quite as crazy now.