Hearse
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A hearse is a funeral vehicle, a conveyance for the coffin from e.g. a church to a cemetery, a similar burial site, or a crematorium. In the funeral trade, they are often called funeral coaches.
The name, supposedly, derives from the Anglo-Saxon word harrow, describing the temporary framework on which candles were placed above the bier. This also held banners and armorial bearings and other heraldic devices. Complimentary verses or epitaphs were often attached to the hearse.
Specialised vehicles have been produced for this purpose for a long time; hearses were originally horse-drawn, but motorised examples began to be produced from 1909 in the United States at least, and became more widely accepted in the 1920s. The vast majority of hearses since then have been based on larger, more powerful car chassis, generally retaining the front end up to and possibly including the front doors but with custom bodywork to the rear to contain the coffin. Normally more luxurious brands of car are used as a base; the vast majority of hearses in the United States are Cadillacs and Lincolns.
Cadillac produced what they referred to as a "commercial chassis." This was basically a strengthened version of the long-wheelbase Fleetwood limousine frame to carry the extra weight of bodywork, rear deck and cargo. Specifically designed for professional car use, the rear of the Cadillac commercial chassis was considerably lower than the passenger car frame, thereby lowering the rear deck height as well for ease of loading and unloading. They were shipped as incomplete cars to coachbuilders for final assembly. A commercial chassis Cadillac was little more than a complete rolling chassis, front end sheetmetal with lighting and trim, dashboard and controls. Rear quarter panels and sometimes the front door shells were shipped with the chassis for use in the finished coachwork. Today, most hearses are made from converted sedans on stretched wheelbases. The fleet division of Ford Motor Company sells a Lincoln Town Car with a special "hearse package" strictly to coachbuilders. Shipped without rear seat, rear interior trim, rear window or decklid, the hearse package also features a heavy-duty suspension, brakes, charging system and tires and was once offered on a modified Ford Expedition SUV chassis with the Triton V10 truck engine. Because the working life of a hearse is generally one of light duty and short, sedate drives, they remain serviceable for a long time; hearses 30 years old or more may still be in service, although some funeral homes replace them at least once a decade. As of 2004, a new hearse in the USA usually costs in the range of $40,000 to $65,000.
Two styles of hearse bodywork are common. The older style is the limousine style; these have narrow pillars and lots of glass. These are more popular in the United Kingdom, among others. More popular in the United States is the landau style, with a heavily-padded leather or (later) vinyl roof, and long blind rear quarters, similarly covered, and decorated with large metal S-shaped bars designed to resemble those used to lower the tops on some horse-drawn coaches. It is common practise in the USA for the windows to be curtained, while in the UK the windows are normally left unobscured. Hearses resemble station wagons strictly because of the shape of the rear ends of conventional ones.
In recent times, the Motorcycle hearse has become more popular. This type of hearse is a motorcycle with a special sidecar built to carry a casket or an urn. These hearses are often used during the funeral of motorcycle enthusiasts.
Until the late 1970s, it was common for hearses in the USA to be combination coaches which also could serve in the ambulance role; these were common in rural areas. Car-based ambulances and combination coaches were unable to meet stricter Federal specifications for such vehicles and were discontinued after 1979.
Hearse enthusiasts are a subset of auto buffs. The 'Dead Sled' also appeals to Goths, as a suitable alternative to a black stretch limo.
See also
External links
- The Hearse Enthusiast (http://www.angelfire.com/zine/TheHearseEnthusiast/)
- Nice selection of photographs of European and American hearses. (http://www.hearse.de/)
- The Professional Car Society (hearses, flower cars, car-based ambulances, limousines) (http://www.professionalcar.org/)
- The Phantom Coaches Hearse Club in Southern California (http://www.phantomcoaches.org/)
- Motorcycle Funerals Web Site (http://www.motorcyclefunerals.com)
- Ford Motor Company fleet vehicle site (https://www.fleet.ford.com/)