Packard’s relationship with Henney Motor Company of Freeport, Illinois, is well documented. The agreement between the two companies focused largely on the production of flower and funeral cars, like this 1942 Packard hearse. The relationship between the two companies flourished and led to the development of innovations like air conditioning in passenger cars, along with some truly regal automobiles like this one. Find this Henney hearse here on eBay with a $22K Buy-It-Now.
This Packard is nothing short of handsome, with a surprisingly sound body that shows little evidence or rust or other cosmetic damage. Chrome trim strips, bumpers, glass and lenses all look tidy, and the seller notes minor issues (beyond not running at the moment): “Minor rust issues, slight damage to front around grill (photographed), typical rust out in side mount wells.” The funeral car body was one of several that Henney produced for Packard through the years.
A key feature of Henney-bodied funeral cars / limousines was the side entrance. Interestingly, the motivation for this side-loading mechanism was due to the company’s founder feeling that being loaded into the back of hearse was undignified; I’m not sure whether I’d care at that point, but it’s the thought that counts. This Packard looks surprisingly complete inside, with good curtains, carpeting and window cranks.
Perhaps what’s most impressive about this project is the volume of spare parts the seller is including. Lots of NOS and other no-longer-available components will be included, such as a spare set of rear fenders, stainless trim, clutch and brake pads, battery box, distributor, splash aprons and more. Though re-using it as a hearse is unlikely, there’s plenty of room inside for a limo conversion or simply enjoying the notoriety of the classiest death rig in town.
Wasn’t this the hearse that chased James Bond in Dr. No? I remember it going over the cliff in flames
@Garfon. If it was then they have done a pretty good restoration job on it so far.
Nope, it was a 1939 LaSalle. 1/43 scale models can be found on eBay.
Freeport, IL! Whoo hoo! Next town over from me and the armpit of northern Illinois..lol
Might as well throw Beloit in there also Rx7turboII.
As a youth , I drove Hearses for daily drivers . They were fun cars. They were cheap ,well maintained cars that nobody wanted to drive. I had them from the years 1939 to 1966 My favorite was a 1954 Superior coach .I went to a drive through and the guy refused to put my beer in the hearse. And hitch hikers were a whole different story )). Nothing like picking up your date in a Hearse ))
Fred, I too was a hearse driver as a young buck.
I had a female friend that at first didn’t even want to sit on the seat.
After we were “going out” she got so confortable with the hearses that when we were on a trip from L.A. to San Francisco her attitude changed.
I lost the tread on one of the tires (actually twice on that trip).
We had to stop at a gas station to buy a used tire, when they sold them.
As the attendant was loading the spare back into the car he asked her if it bothered her to drive in a hearse.
She answered this way.
“No, as a matter of fact, we drug my mother off in this one”.
She was having a great time on that trip. By the way her mother was not drug off in that car and in fact was not dead at all.
As far as Packard’s go, my friend had a beautiful 1949 black Packard with purple mohair interior with hydraulic front windows.
It was a beast and not as hard to drive as you would think.
A friend owned a ’62 Cadillac that a previous owner had built a bed in,once he went through a bank drive thru with another friend lying in the back,another time we all went in it to a restaurant and backed it up to the door then let my friend out the back door,freaking out the cooks and waitresses inside,had a lot of fun in that old beast.
If you were loaded in from the side wouldn’t you then have to make an awkward turn to be North / south?
That’s why it has a large rear door.
Heck, put it back into service. Would be a lot more grand in the funeral procession than a minivan!
If I had the money and room for it, that one would be in the garage! Can you imagine taking that to a car show or parade? Or even the ice cream parlor.
People had to get out of the way when I was driving the ’49.
It has a much longer wheelbase than the regular car, but with the same turning radius.
It also was a much heavier car with no power steering.
It would be hard to see most of the crap cars that litter the streets now with the high fenders and sitting position in this car.
Here is the car by the way.
If I were a little younger and didn’t have a wife to answer to, I’d be on my way to Pennsylvania to look at this one! Ever since I retired, I’ve been kicking around the idea of buying an old Packard hearse, restoring it and offering to rent it to bereaved families or the funeral homes representing them. Why? Because I’m pretty sure that there are other old car enthusiasts who share my feelings about funerals. Please excuse the pun, but the LAST thing I (well, don’t) want is to take my final ride in a modern, ugly hearse!
For many years there was a Local Funeral home that would offer different types of hearse ride for the person, including a horse drawn hearse. They had a late model Caddy I believe from the 50’s, a Lincoln from the 70’s and a Packard just like this one, a retired 1949 American LeFrance Fire Truck.
I was also told one time the reason for the side load was some cemeteries, like in big Cities, are so small it was so they could drive up beside the grave and open the side door turn and be at the grave.
I know I have been a pall bearer at some funeral, and sometimes getting to the grave with a casket is hard.
Is that you Big Mike? Flipper of Harley Servi-Cars?
Just a note. A late model car is a newer car, not older.
This is one of the nicer old-timers I’ve seen in a while. Rix Funeral Home in Lubbock has a ’30s hearse that’s a carved-side Cadillac. I’ve rarely seen it out of the garage.
Don’t know where it went, but for many years a neighbor of my cousin in Odessa had a ’39 Henney-Packard hearse sitting on their lot. Never got to get a close look at it, and it’s been gone for some time now. Hope it went to a decent home.
This same car was FS a year or two ago for $32,000, same seller. If you look at the pictures on Ebay this car has plenty of rust issues and no pics from underneath. I think praise for the interior is also overrated. Those curtain will crumble with not much handling and I’m betting the seat cloth is also fragile, so no dodging the upholstery refurb. Good luck matching the colors. Rust repair, interior work, brake system rebuild, repaint, re-chrome…. It’s a good candidate to slide a stretched late model frame under it with all the upgrades and a V-8. Cool and I like it, but I’m thinking at least another $10k off the price.
Jeff,
While Packard was the first company to offer true refrigeration A/C starting in 1940, Henney had no part of the A/C equation. No Henney built hearses or ambulances ever came with A/C, there was no place for it.
While Henney did create the 3-way loading hearse, this one is not a 3-way, it only loads from the rear. The 3-way cars have the center post that is attached to the rear side doors, so when open to allow the coffin table to slide out the side, it’s a full hardtop with both side doors open, an opening of about 10 feet.
There was a 3-way featured here a while back.
https://barnfinds.com/henneys-nu-3-way-1953-packard-hearse/
Really like the Rear View Mirror mounted on the Spare Wheel cover!
I would not be caught dead in this car ! LOL !