Hearse 13274 223993695 2008-07-06T21:25:31Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other [[Image:Reagan hearse.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A modern day hearse; this one was used to transport the body of former President [[Ronald Reagan]] during his [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|state funeral]]]] :''For the extreme metal band, see [[Hearse (band)]]'' 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'''. ==Name== The name derives from the Old French ''herce'' "rake, [[harrow (tool)|harrow]]", describing the temporary framework on which candles were placed above the [[bier]]. This also held banners and armorial bearings and other heraldic devices. Verses or epitaphs were often attached to the hearse. Applied to vehicles since the 17th century. ==History== Hearses were originally horse-drawn, but silent electric motorised examples that were used in Paris were reported in the pages of ''Scientific American'' May 1907 and petrol-driven hearses began to be produced from 1909 in the [[United States]]. Motorised hearses became more widely accepted in the 1920s. The vast majority of hearses since then have been based on larger, more powerful [[automobile|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. Some early hearses also served as [[ambulance]]s. A few cities experimented with funeral trolley cars and/or subway cars to carry both the casket and mourners to cemeteries, but these were not popular. ==North America and Europe== Normally more luxurious brands of car are used as a base; the vast majority of hearses in the [[United States]] are [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillacs]] and [[Lincoln automobile|Lincolns]]. In [[Europe]], [[Mercedes-Benz]], [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]], [[Opel]], [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] and [[Volvo]] are common contemporary bases, and in the past, [[Daimler Motor Company|Daimler]] and even [[Rolls-Royce car|Rolls-Royce]] limousines were converted, though their cost is generally considered prohibitive. Cadillac produced what it termed a "commercial chassis". This was a strengthened version of the long-wheelbase Fleetwood limousine frame to carry the extra weight of bodywork, rear deck and cargo. 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 [[coachbuilder]]s for final assembly. A commercial chassis Cadillac was little more than a complete rolling chassis, front end sheet metal 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 [[Sport utility vehicle|SUV]] chassis with the Triton [[V10 engine|V10]] truck engine. Hearses and other funeral service vehicles are often equipped with light bars and other flashing lights similar to those found in emergency vehicles in order to increase the visibility of the vehicle while in [[procession]]s. Since the working life of a hearse is generally one of light duty and short, sedate drives, hearses 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. [[Image:Aa horsehearse 00.jpg|thumb|left|Horse-drawn hearse, [[Manchester]], UK, 2007]] Two styles of hearse [[car body style|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 (car)|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 wagon]]s strictly because of the shape of the rear ends of conventional ones. Until the late 1970s, it was common for hearses in the USA to be ''[[combination car|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. Due to the costs of owning an expense custom vehicle that sits idle "80 to 90 percent of the week" [http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/business/194494,pp-bzofuneral-010407-s1.article], individual funeral homes reduce costs by renting [http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/14038924.htm] or utilizing a shared motor pool. ==Japan== [[Image:JapaneseHearse.JPG|thumb|A [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]-style [[Japan]]ese hearse]] In Japan, hearses can come in two styles: "Foreign" style, which is similar in build and style to an American hearse, or a "Japanese" style, in which the rear area of the vehicle is modified to resemble a small, ornate Buddhist temple. This generally requires the rear of the vehicle to be extensively altered; commonly, the rear roof is cut away from the front windows back and all interior parts are removed from the rear as well. The ornate Buddhist-style rear area, generally constructed of wood and in which the casket or [[urn]] is placed, is built on top of this empty cavity and most often is wider than the base of the vehicle, so that it sticks out on the sides, over the rear body panels. Popular bases for these are not limited to large sedans, but also minivans and even pickup trucks by companies like [[Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.|Nissan]] and [[Toyota]]. There are regional differences of ornaments. [[Chūkyō Metropolitan Area|Nagoya]] style decorates not only the upper half of the body, but the lower half as well. [http://www.09net.jp/syouhisya/car_preview/n2.html] [[Kansai region|Kansai]] style has a relatively modest decorations unpainted [http://www.09net.jp/syouhisya/car_preview/n3.html]. [[Kanazawa, Ishikawa|Kanazawa]] style is known for having a red body (other styles mostly have black bodies) with gilded ornaments. [http://www.fukou.co.jp/car_4/p2-b.html] [[Tokyo]] style, found anywhere else in Japan, features painted/gilded ornaments on the upper half of the body, like in a photograph on right. [http://www.09net.jp/syouhisya/car_preview/n1.html] "Foreign" style hearses are mostly similar in appearance to their US counterparts, although their exterior dimensions and interiors reflect the Japanese preference for smaller, less ornate [[caskets]] (this in light of the national preference for cremation). This means that, in contrast to American hearses, the rear quarter panels require less, and sometimes no, alteration. These are generally built from [[station wagons]] such as the [[Nissan Stagea]], or from executive sedans such as the [[Toyota Celsior]] ([[Lexus LS430]] in the US) and [[Nissan Cima]] ([[Infiniti Q45]] in the US). Interestingly, American market vehicles such as the [[Lincoln Town Car]] and [[Cadillac DeVille]], which are otherwise fairly uncommon in Japan, are often converted to hearses in both styles. ==Side-hearses== [[Image:Motorcycle-Hearse.jpg|thumb|A [[Motorcycle]]-style hearse]] In recent times, the [[Motorcycle]] plus side-hearse has become more popular. This type of hearse is a motorcycle with a special side-vehicle built to carry a casket or an urn. These hearses are often used during the funeral of motorcycle enthusiasts.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2006/11/07/motor_cycle_hearse_feature.shtml] ==Hearse enthusiasts== Perhaps owing to the morbid nature of the hearse, its luxurious accommodations for the driver, or both, the hearse has a number of enthusiasts who own and drive retired hearses. There are several [http://lastride.officialdeadman.com/ hearse clubs] Amongst enthusiasts, the 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor hearse is considered one of the most desirable due to its especially ornate styling and appearances in feature films, notably the [[Ghostbusters (franchise)#Transport|Ecto-1]] in the [[Ghostbusters]]. The famed [[Harold and Maude]] car was a 1959 Cadillac [[Superior Coach Company|Superior]] hearse. People who make hearses include; Coleman Milne, Binz, Duffy and Fearghas Quinn of Ireland. They are based on Mercedes and GM Vauxhall/Opel. [[Celebrity]] hearse enthusiasts include rock singer [[Neil Young]] and two-time [[NASCAR]] [[Nextel]] Cup Champion [[Tony Stewart]], who had his hearse customised for a television show. ==Images== <gallery> Image:carriage-cc-sa.JPG|A horse-drawn hearse with driver, circa 1900. Courtesy [http://www.neilreganfuneralhome.com Neil Regan Funeral Home] Image:Funeral Carriage.JPG|Funeral carriage, [[Museum of Funeral Customs]] Image:Cadillac Fleetwood hearse 1990s.jpg|Cadillac hearse Image:Volvohearse.jpg|An antique limousine style hearse from [[Volvo]] Image:Aa horsehearse lipp.jpg|Horse hearse pulled by two [[Lipizzaner]] stallions Image:Got bodies hearse.jpg|Retired [[Mercury (automobile)|Mercury]] hearse used as commuter car with trailer hitch </gallery> ==See also== {{commons|Hearse}} * [[Car body style]] * [[First Call vehicle]] * [[Flower car]] ==External links== * [http://www.nationalhearse.org/ The National Hearse and Ambulance Association] - Uniting hearse and ambulance owners across the world * [http://www.professionalcar.org/ The Professional Car Society] hearses, flower cars, car-based ambulances, limousines * [http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/albeyer/id40.htm Australian and other funeral cars] Website showing hearses from around the world and their different styles * [http://lastride.officialdeadman.com/ Last Ride Hearse Society] Hearses, ambulances, limos etc Yorkshire based but worldwide club * [http://members.aol.com/hearseq/grimrides.htm Grim Rides], a hearse enthusiasts' website * [http://www.nilsson.se Nilsson Special Vehicles] * [http://www.hearseclub.co.uk/ The Classic Hearse Register] UK based club for owners and enthusiasts of funeral vehicles. 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