Superior Coach Co. has been in business for more than 100 years, building hearses, ambulances, and limousines. Most of them were based on then-current model Cadillacs, like this 1960 Series 68 (Fleetwood). We’re told it’s just 1 of 128 assembled that year and the seller used it as a daily driver until a few years ago. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this potential Halloween prop is available here on eBay where $5,200 is the highest bid so far.
You can find out more about Superior Coaches of today on their website. Chances are this Cadillac was shipped to Superior for conversion as a chassis with a front-end clip and interior. The known history of this hearse dates to 1998 when the seller bought it in Seneca, Kansas where it had been used by a local funeral home. Still in running order, it was driven to Atlanta, Georgia where the seller kept it for four years before moving the whole shebang to Albuquerque. It made the 1,400-mile trip loaded with everything the seller owned, and he/she still kept driving it regularly afterward.
Though this former “last mile” people mover isn’t running at the moment, a conversion from generator to alternator was done a few years ago along with switching from a gas tank to a fuel cell. Because of its exposure to Midwestern winters, the floorboards are said to be shot, though some earlier patches were applied. The interior is also a lost cause, so even if you intend to use it for amusement purposes, some work will be needed.
If you were to buy this former hearse, what would you do with it? The logical assumption is to turn it into a haunted house prop for Halloween or take people on ghost tours in some of our oldest cities (like St. Augustin, Florida). If you can get it going again, you’d be working with a 390 cubic inch Cadillac V8 paired with a GM 4-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. Be sure to bring a really big trailer as this thing is 22 feet long and heavy!
I’ve never understood the attraction of owning and especially restoring a hearse. I guess I can’t get past the morbid idea of it.
Sorry but this Hearse is far from SUPERIOR, largely due to the interior. Almost DOA! 😲 Still it could become resurrected with MUCH TLC. Perhaps like a 93 Cadillac Hearse I recently saw (lettered on sides), We Put The Fun In Funerals!
Too bad it missed being featured on Halloween by one day.
Steve R
Superior is still alive and producing hearses and limos here in my hometown of Lima, Ohio. The history of the company dates back to 1876 but coach building started in 1909. Their history includes a long stretch when the company was the world producer of school buses as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_Coach_Company
https://sscoachcompany.com/
Just wait til Angel gets a load of this
one! And yeah, it could be used alongside the ’65 hearse that showed up right before Halloween. I’m doing
research now to try and get a grant to
start my cadaver transport business.
I’ve seen where they give out grants to disabled folks like me to start their
own business and better themselves
in the process. I’ve already found out
the 4-hour funeral director’s course
that you take in Tallahassee, and the cost isn’t really all that much. The real cost would be finding a decent
running coach to begin with. Better
figure in a surety bond and insurance
too, and you have one tidy sum of cash to come up with. That’s where
the grant comes in. Oops, almost forgot that ’69 Fleetwood limo we saw a few days ago. That would make a really nice family car when
done up right. Sad to say it, the first
coach would have to be a late model
unit so that you could start making
money as soon as you could in order
to grow the business. All said and done, you’re gonna have a lot of cash
and time invested in a business that
isn’t that scary after all. If you want a
recession/depression proof job, this would certainly be it. Get past the
stereotypes, and go for it. OMG! Look at the time! I gotta hit the sack
and he ready for work at 6;00 AM.
Night Angel 💋 Night all!