I own 4 hearses. 3 are cadillacs. My newest is a 1996.. I disagree that the escalade looks like a coach. Although over the last few years, and mainly
after 96 (the last year of the RWD big bodied hearses), they've gotten smaller and in my opinion, crappier. Although I enjoy the look of the newset
ones 2015 and 2016 coaches. The escalade I dont think would ever be used as a first call vehicle because it isnt long enough. Generally today first
call vehicles are either older 90's coaches or vans. It's mostly vans nowadays.
There are a few one off types of cars as coach companies can make a hearse out of pretty much whatever a funeral home wants if they pay the money for
it. I have seen vans and station wagons with Landau bars. It's not as common now as it used to be, though. My 85 Lincoln hearse is pretty much a one
off by a weird coach company. Most coaches are now (and generally always were) built in ohio. They're now all under the company Accubuilt, who owns
many of the coach companies from yesteryear including Miller Meteor, Superior and Sayers&Scoville. They retired the Miller Meteor name but still build
Superior and S&S. I think they have a few others as well, but I'm not sure which. There are other coach companies that have cropped up over the years.
Eagle, Platinum, Federal, and Krystal (now defunct). Ambruster Stageway was recently resurrected as well.
The harold and maude hearse is a 1959 cadillac Superior Royale (not a Crown I dont think, as it doesnt have the chrome band across the top). Indeed,
the holy grail of hearses aside from the Crown version. Not because it was in that movie, though. It was just one of the most elaborate and beautiful
(and most expensive). Lots of people hate the big fins, though. It's my dream hearse, of course. Good luck finding one that hasnt been "ecto-fied".
Most hearses with fins are called ghostbusters, and there are so, so many "incorr-ectos" out there.
The jaguar hearse DOES exist. The one in the movie was destroyed however recently in vegas there was a movie car show and there was an exact replica
there. It's pretty cool! I am not sure who owns it. The actual Ecto is a 1959 cadillac combination car built by Miller Meteor and it is their Futura
Duplex model. There are very few that exist today, and even fewer that haven't been turned into an ecto. I can appreciate an Ecto, and would rock one
if given the chance. But I hate it when people ruin coaches to turn them into an ectomobile.
The new ghostbusters movie uses an 80's model hearse. I am not sure how I feel about this, but in the hearse driver/collector community not a lot of
people want the 80's models because theyre pretty much garbage as coaches go (and so are late 90's/early 2000's). To ave them being recycled as movie
cars I guess is kind of cool.
edit on 7-4-2016 by LydiaRobinvale because: (no reason given)
edit on 7-4-2016 by
LydiaRobinvale because: typos