Hearses

Hearses, is there a difference? Do you get a choice? The answer to both questions is yes.

There is a big difference between the types of hearses that funeral directors use and you have the right to choose the vehicle that best suits your loved one. From Harley Davidson motor bikes to 1929 Dodges, to the current model Mercedes Benz, the choices are endless. Hearses are like all aspects of a funeral, you can make the arrangements that best suit your mood or that of your loved one. Remember, a funeral is for those who are living. It is a chance for everyone who has been touched by a person to commemorate their passing. You need the chance to say goodbye, and to say it in your own way.

Once upon a time funerals were very sombre affairs, these days people are beginning to realise that a funeral is, in fact, a celebration of a person’s life. Either the deceased make their own arrangements prior, or the family plan a funeral to reflect the deceased person’s personality. A hearse is as much an example of individual taste as the type of coffin or flowers are. An elderly gent may have once owned a Cadillac, Chrysler or a Dodge and wish to have one in his funeral. Companies like Classic Funeral Coaches offer all these cars and more. With such a wide choice of beautifully restored and truly elegant old hearses, you now have the ability to send your loved one off in something that they would have loved and appreciated.

Remember that your local funeral director can make the arrangements with you when it comes to selecting a particular style of vehicle. For example, formal occasions such as government funerals or those of dignitaries traditionally use the best available hearses ranging from latest model stretch LTD’s and of course, the luxury Mercedes Benz. Again, it’s a personal choice and doesn’t it make you feel better to think you can match the hearse, along will all the other aspects of the funeral, to that of your loved one? Whilst researching this story I discovered that not only is there a wide and varied selection of hearses available but that the range extends from horse drawn and motor driven to airborne hearses. We have always, and I assume we always will, used hearses to transport our loved ones to their final resting place. Many people however, don’t realise that hearses are something to be taken into consideration.

Allen Matthews Funeral Directors has a Dodge Brothers 1929 hearse along with the more conventional style Ford Stretch which you see around today. The Dodge is somewhat limited in its travelling ability, ideally working within a 4km radius from the crematorium. Scott Doorson is the man behind the restoration of this Dodge and he freely admits it has been a labour of love. Classic Funeral Coaches operate from Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. The Tasmanian branch has a beautiful 1935 Dodge originally built in Hobart as a funeral car, the hand built coach work on this vehicle was executed by Cramp Bros Bodyworks in Hobart. The vehicle has undergone an extensive 5 year restoration, having been saved from an unfortunate existence in a paddock. It is now back in full service as a funeral car.

The Victorian branch has a 1946 Mercury. This car was built in South Australia and uses the drive train from a 1946 Mercury utility. It is powered by a flathead V8 engine. The chassis has been extended to accommodate the custom built hearse body. This is a low mileage original vehicle with all the grace and dignity of days gone by. New South Wales has a 1937 Cadillac la Salle hearse. Originally imported from the United States as a commercial chassis, its panels were manufactured by Holden, whilst the coach work was completed by Oldings Coachcraft in Glebe. Restoration has taken approximately 3 years to complete with virtually all systems, both electrical and mechanical, having being completely rebuilt or replaced. The owner and partner of the NSW branch, Stuart Rowe, told me he is now looking at a 1954 Ford Customline hearse. Stuart said he is really going to try hard to not buy it but then again, he said the same thing about the Caddy.

Hearses are and always have been quite unique, if you look into it you’ll find there have been some fascinating vehicles used over the years. Classic Funeral Coaches have found a great number of them. An example is the 1967 HR Holden hearse, last used in Shepparton Victoria and now in the hands of a Holden enthusiast. The 1940 Dodge Roadster hearse was probably the only one ever constructed and believed to have spent its working life in Western Australia. The cost to restore these classic cars is huge, however the cost of converting the current models also runs to a large sum, would you believe it takes around $100,000 to make a conversion! Whatever the vehicle, the choice is yours and there is a suitable means of transport for everyone’s last journey. All the usual arrangements can be made through the funeral director of your choice, so think on it and also about what your loved one would have wanted.