I remember reading that exact heading in a magazine editorial that was published well over 20 years ago. The main focus of that editorial was on that unique vehicle called a hearse. But not just any hearse - it highlighted some funeral home services where you're last ride would be in a vintage 30's, 40's, or 50's GM, Ford, or Chrysler hearse. The editor who wrote that piece figured you only died once. Why take your last ride in some generic modern hearse, (or worse a Dodge Caravan hearse), when you could literally go out in high style. Their are still a vast amount of these funeral homes offering these "stylin" options all across the country - some even in hot rod style rigs. As gearheads, is there really any other choice? It may be a kinda bizarre Google search, but go for it.
Before writing this weeks post, I looked back through the history of
Full Throttle. Why I never wrote about the incredible popularity of modified and hot rod hearses escaped me. As many genre's we have in our vintage car-loving hobby, there seems to be the same number of genre's within the hearse realm. Everything from full-on stock restorations, to hot rods, street rods and rat rods, to incredible drag cars. There are car shows that highlight these unique rides - nothing else is allowed to display, with the occasional deviance being ambulances. One of the best in the country is Hearsecon held yearly, with 2016 being in Denver Colorado. (Photo courtesy of HearseClub.com)
I think most of our readers have heard the likes of the hot rod hearse. Usually a vintage 50's or 60's black Cadillac, that many times has blown big block engine power as well as flames painted on the side. But I also mentioned rat rods and street rods. Case in point this chopped and channeled circa 30's Ford Model A Tudor. Would be perfect with a chopped coffin as well. Think of the possibilities and the uniqueness. You'd be the only one in Forest Lawn with that shit. Classic resto looks, and massive street rod style; what's not to love?
Another aspect you don't see too often is the hearse in the drag racing arena. After all, most of these specialty vehicles are 22 feet long, although the shear volume of rear overhang would add to the traction and hooking at the starting line aspects. But there are examples out there - one rocks to the tune of 9-second quarter mile times. Say what? The devious masterminds at AMS Performance claim
Madness, a sinister, black Caprice professional wagon, is both the world's fastest
and quickest hearse and is capable of screaming down a quarter-mile drag strip in under 10 seconds. Being a professional wagon, means it has all the full-tilt hearse equipment - from the special interior to the landau roof. While they took some liberties with the paint job, this behemoth still weighs a ton - more than 2 1/2 to be exact - tipping the scales at more than 5,000 lbs.
But that's fine; when you're running 23 psi of boost, the turbocharged GM 6.0-liter LQ4
V8 engine puts over 1,000 horsepower to the rear wheels. It's enough to make the last ride you'll ever take one of your fastest:
0-60 mph comes in 2.26 seconds (a good 1.3 seconds faster than an E63 AMG wagon,
and good luck fitting a casket in the back of one of those). 0-100 mph
takes just 5.20 seconds. A quarter-mile flies by in 9.94 seconds at
137.36 mph.
If this doesn't at least tickle your fancy or bake your cookies, you probably don't have a pulse - and you should be riding in the back of one of these beauties anyways...
Until next time, peace out.
Happy Halloween!
Dave
I remember reading that exact heading in a magazine editorial that was published well over 20 years ago. The main focus of that editorial was on that unique vehicle called a hearse. But not just any hearse - it highlighted some funeral home services where you're last ride would be in a vintage 30's, 40's, or 50's GM, Ford, or Chrysler hearse. The editor who wrote that piece figured you only died once. Why take your last ride in some generic modern hearse, (or worse a Dodge Caravan hearse), when you could literally go out in high style. Their are still a vast amount of these funeral homes offering these "stylin" options all across the country - some even in hot rod style rigs. As gearheads, is there really any other choice? It may be a kinda bizarre Google search, but go for it.
I think most of our readers have heard the likes of the hot rod hearse. Usually a vintage 50's or 60's black Cadillac, that many times has blown big block engine power as well as flames painted on the side. But I also mentioned rat rods and street rods. Case in point this chopped and channeled circa 30's Ford Model A Tudor. Would be perfect with a chopped coffin as well. Think of the possibilities and the uniqueness. You'd be the only one in Forest Lawn with that shit. Classic resto looks, and massive street rod style; what's not to love?
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