Halloween will be here before you know it, and what youngster wouldn’t enjoy being chauffeured around their neighborhood in a hearse while trick-or-treating, especially when it’s a custom-crafted late-thirties LaSalle? The problem here is by no means the car, as it’s already been painstakingly restored and presents itself in a stunning fashion. However, the price tag is an issue that will likely alienate many wanna be buyers, as the seller is aiming for a whopping $155,000. With the combination of the rarity and cool factor, maybe this one’s worth the cost to the right collector, so if you’ve got the funds, this 1938 Cadillac LaSalle hearse can be found here on Craigslist in Central New Jersey. Mitchell G., thanks for your spooky tip here!
Word on the street is that this one, including the hand-carved wooden side panels, was produced by a funeral coach building company called Sayers and Scoville. Branded as S&S for short, this business is still operating today out of Lima, Ohio. This particular design is apparently known as the Damascus, and that side sculpting would be hard to beat if it’s an intense goth look you’re seeking. I wasn’t able to positively confirm the numbers, but the seller says only seven of these were ever made, with just four remaining.
For 1938, the LaSalle was fitted with a 322 cubic-inch V8, which had a horsepower rating of 125. Surprisingly, nothing at all is mentioned about the engine here, but it certainly appears period-correct and could still be the original factory component. The seller does share that this one was pulled from its casket-hauling duty 57 years ago, so while it did provide three decades of official funeral home service, there’s a possibility that the mileage here could be relatively low, as these types of vehicles weren’t always used every day, and trips to the cemetery were often nearby.
Equally impressive as the outside styling is the interior, especially the rear section, and the restoration quality looks immaculate. There’s nothing disappointing about the front area either, with the dash and blood-red seat appearing to have been returned to like-new condition. With the popularity of cremation on the rise, this 1938 LaSalle hearse is a great argument for burial, even if that final ride is only a brief, once-in-a-lifetime event. What are your thoughts on this unusual auto, and its asking price of $155k?
Wow! Checking out in style!
Money in the bereaved, as I read this vehicle cost some rich funeral home, almost $4500 bucks in 1938, probably east of the Hudson River in NY. That was the cost of a modest home then. This has been around for a while, even on the Almighty Hemmings for $175,000,,,and no sale. And what, no luggage rack? Nope, you can’t take it with you,,,
$155k and no casket? The ad says expired.
There was another 1938 Cadillac LaSalle gothic hearse featured on this site in July 2023, it was pretty rough, it was listed on Facebook for $15,000.
A Google search of 1938 gothic hearse shows images of quite a few of these so there is a good chance more than 4 still exist. Not sure if the value, time will tell.
Steve R
It’s just “LaSalle,” not “Cadillac LaSalle.”
But it ran great…
..those were the days …
Reminds me of the `39 LaSalle hearse in “Dr. No” that went over the cliff, crashed/burned trying to kill James Bond in his Sunbeam Alpine. Driven by the “3 blind mice”!
Now I’m going to watch Dr. No again! 😆
Creepy vibe….
Tis the season ahead of us. Here’s just the vehicle to pull up in for your Pumpkin Spice Latte. Maybe you didn’t get in on Summersween but no matter as we have the Hearse Fest coming to town next month. You’ll surely be driving the Star Car.
It would demonstrate a little more respect for Aunt Edna . . .
Especially if she left you a million bucks!
I didn’t know that she left Clark anything . . .
As an old retired Funeral Director, I’m surprised by this funeral coach. Packard was the standard at that time. This Caddy was probably more affordable for the purchasing funeral home. Government officials, movie stars and funeral homes all used Packards. When asked by a parking lot attendant which car is yours, the answer was ‘the Packard, of course!’ You had arrived. Cadillac and Lincoln were lesser status vehicles. We tend to forget that today. Now, Cadillac and Lincoln are in all sorts of trouble. They stopped producing American luxury. They make trucks. Hilarious!
“Luxury” trucks no less which to me makes no sense. Since few of them ever go off road or haul anything but a person or two why would anyone want to drive or have to park one? I look at all of them and laugh.
Nice for Halloween.
I fell in love with these the first time I saw them about 40 years ago. How decadent! Can you imagine being driven to the cemetery in this luxury? The hand crafted wooden drapes alone are worth $155,000. Personally I think it’s a steal. I’ve seen others but we’re in such bad shape they could only be used as a parts car. There are probably more than 4 left but not many more.
After these went out of fashion the “landau” hearse came into being and it’s pretty much what we still have today. Cremation is making the hearse obsolete.
I also have a 1/18 scale die cast of this hearse
Here where I live there’s a funeral home with either a ’41 or ’42 Cadillac hearse with the “drape” treatment on the outside like this, I think it was built by S&S coach and is 1 of 2. They stopped building hearses during the war and built military ambulances. Last time I saw it they would still use it if a client wanted it (they also had a ’59) and it only had 23,000 miles on it. The curtains on the outside of this one were bolted on and were made of brass or bronze.
This would fit in nicely in new Addam’s Family series “Wednesday”. Think they drive a Packard Stretch for the period. And they DO have the roof rack.
I’m not sure “once in a lifetime ” would be a correct term. “Once when dead” might be more accurate!
NO! Angel and Ken! Too expensive to purchase and maintain.
(Someone has to be the voice of reason!(lol)
Had a more convention ’38 LaSalle Hearse in ’72. Rough and missing a grille that suggested a skull. Mine was from Superior Coach in Lima Ohio, Interior was complete, and I didn’t dare dismantle it though I was a passionate student of body construction and really wanted a look/see. Bought it for $325 to flip and got an amazing number of crackpot inquires including rental requests. Finally sold it for $650 and made nickels.
In my home town, in the early 70’s there was an upstart rock band driving one of these. My high school buddy lived across the street from where it was parked. It had stained glass windows, kind of a bronze / tea color. Had wide whitewalls as well. Looked creepy just sitting still. Of course, so did the band members.
For some cool old hearses check out – Museum of Funeral Carriages and Hearses
This has nothing to do with the vehicle at hand. Several years back I was in south-western Kentucky on I believe it was US 131. I passed a funeral procession going the opposite direction I was, it had 3 wheeled Harley Davidson pulling a goose neck two wheeled hearse that was also done in the Gothic-style.
@John
I have a book on the history of funeral coaches and a couple of these are in it. A few were made from LaSalle and a few from Cadillac.
Who could have ever guessed you have a book on funeral coaches?! LOL
I think Angel has every copy of every book ever printed.
For some cool old hearses check out Museum of Funeral Carriages and Hearses
I would not be caught dead in that thing.
No trailer hitch? Guess it’s true “you can’t take it with you.”
In South Florida in the 60’s/70’s, a close friend would buy old hearses just for additional room for carrying tools and materials. Plus, these had a ice cold rear A/C for keeping those cadavers cold during transport from the morgue to the funeral home. Some hearses had flashing red lights in the grille with a siren. Sometimes we drove up the shoulder of I-95 during traffic jams using them. Never missed a Happy Hour!
Ugly and creepy, all at the same time. When I go, drag me behind a Yugo, it would be classier and not upset the onlookers as much.
To die for!
I once saw an old restored hearse with 2DIE4 on the license plate.
@ Jesse M
In the 1990s my husband’s 1972 Jeep Wagoneer had the New Jersey license plate “DEAD 1” and my 1972 Buick Riviera had the license plate “DEAD 2”
If I purchased this hearse, my neighbors would sign a petition to make me move.
Says the post has expired.
Hi Angel! Who kissed the front of your Rivera? Richard, you didn’t
sell yours to my friend Harry Hinthorn did you? I toured with him in ’75 after his lead singer quit him in Denver, Colorado. He
carried all the equipment in a hearse while the band rode in a
’63 Fleetwood 75 limousine. He was right about one thing though,
loading all that heavy sound gear
into that hearse was a snap with that roll out platform inside. And yeah, I was having a really nice time with a young lady when union rep came to her place and told me “Put your pants on lover boy, you’re goin to Denver.”. I toured with him for 3 months before I got home again. Played a lot of theaters and honky tonks
with him– the kinds with the chain link fence across the stage
too. And as for a hearse like this,
you could get them on Buick chassis too. Saw one built on a ’38 Buick and it looked great. Sorry Wayne, this would be something I’d probably want to use as a premium high end transport for the dearly departed.
Like Howard said, you might as well go out in style. And yes dear,
I could probably draw you one if you really wanted it.
…And yes, they did build these on
the Packard platform too. Albeit
not as many as on a GM chassis.
And the only ’39 LaSalle hearse I
ever had was the 1/32 model kit by Aurora models in ’65. And Angel, you can still find both the hearse and ambulance kits from
Jo Han models, but they’re getting
harder to come by these days. I had all of them at one point in time and they were good well detailed kits that took a lot of time to build to get them right. They all had opening hoods, steerable wheels, and an opening
rear door for either the casket or a gurney. I built some, and a good friend of mine named Bob
Dwyer built some for me when I got too busy to build them myself. Sure wish I still had ’em now. He did a bang up job on them too. Open the hood, and that 429 V-8 would be wired and plumbed like the real thing. This
guy even built an RC tank that fired .22 caliber ammunition! But I digress. I believe that S&S would build a coach on most any
frame you cared to mention. The
oldest one I saw was a 1925 Cunningham at a car show 50+
years ago. And it was truly an impressive sight.