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Vintage Hearses, Funeral Coaches and Flower Cars On Main Street Anywhere: A Pictorial


Bleach

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Not necessarily a hearse. Might have been a "service car" used to transport tents and other paraphenalia to the burial site. Sometimes fairly plain cars were also used as "first call" vehicles to retrieve the recently deceased from the home. Fewer neighbors peeking thru the curtains that way.

I think "First Call" is one of my very favorite euphemisms. To some it's like, "Today is the first day of the rest of your Eternity". To others, "Today is the first day of your Decomposition".

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On the whole, I find that the hearses used by Latin Americans are quite remarkable. Cultural differences can be so fascinating. I read somewhere that the hearses used in Mexico are sometimes homemade. A Google search of "hearses Mexico" didn't reveal a whole lot, though. I did find this small, sad little Austin hearse built for the transport of children's caskets. The how and why of it being pictured with children gathered around it is somewhat creepy:

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Hudsy, if you use the term "coche fúnebre" you can get a lot of hits on the net for the Latin American hearses, including Mexico.

A '28 Cadillac, I think, from DF, Mexico.

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More to follow.

This one looks to be a bitsa - bitsa this and bitsa that. From the wheels I guess the chassis might be 1933 Studebaker President as are the front fenders. The hood is 1931(?) Cadillac. I can't decide whether the windshield is 1931 Cadillac Fleetwood custom or 1931 Chrysler Imperial. The radiator shell might be 1930 Franklin?? - or?? The headlights look like Lucas P100s.

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I stared at this one for quite a while, not being able to quite understand what the heck I was looking at. nzcarnerd, thanks for deciphering it for us. I suppose that the economics of a poor country encourage innovation, which in this case translates as "cobbling things together". This particular rig has enough lights and horns to wake the dead. As far as the Husrt/hearse thing goes, I've run into that that myself frequently over the years. There has never been a shortage of dumb people.

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Guest Texas Old Car Guy
This model has a front bumper and a driver's door that are both askew.

Hearse11pic.jpg

Have to bust your bubble - this is not a real ambulance; you can tell it's a plastic model which has been photographed to look like a real car. It's probably a 1:24 scale plastic model of a Nomad.

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Have to bust your bubble - this is not a real ambulance; you can tell it's a plastic model which has been photographed to look like a real car. It's probably a 1:24 scale plastic model of a Nomad.

Geez, I knew it was a model the moment I first glanced at it. I'm not the one who posted it! Also, didn't my use of the word model give you a clue that I was aware of what it was?

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