sport hearse
Looks like a hoopty mobile to me!
Looks like a hoopty mobile to me!
2012 Federal Lincolin.
- Thread starter Jeremy D. Ledford
- Start date
Charles E Snyder II
PCS Member
None of these cars being shown look too bad to me. My biggest issue is the landau bar. What happened to making the landau line up with the top of the window frame? I was told many years ago by a wise man (Tom McFerson I believe) that there should be a "flow" from the front of the car to the back. This "flow" would consist of the front window frames back throughout the Landau bars. Take a close look at the coaches of the 70's. You will see a definite "line" from the window frames back. We just need to go back to the origins of coach design. That is all! The landau bars on all of these new coaches are too high in the front!
Maybe I am mistaken but it appears that most if not all of the coach builders today are using stock type 
factory cars when building coaches. Years ago coach builders had to engineer and fabricate everything from the front clip back including the windshield and door glass which added height to a vehicle instead of using the roof to add the height. You would think with todays technology that a coach builder could come up an acceptable coach no matter what chassis is thrown at them. By raising the window height the landau bars would in fact have lined up as mentioned in the previous post.
factory cars when building coaches. Years ago coach builders had to engineer and fabricate everything from the front clip back including the windshield and door glass which added height to a vehicle instead of using the roof to add the height. You would think with todays technology that a coach builder could come up an acceptable coach no matter what chassis is thrown at them. By raising the window height the landau bars would in fact have lined up as mentioned in the previous post.
John Royark JR
PCS Member
Maybe I am mistaken but it appears that most if not all of the coach builders today are using stock type
You are right, but like everyone else nowdays they want the most profit for the least amount of investment, there is no pride in the craft anymore. Making taller, wider glass will cost them more. Also they use cheap fiberglass panels now instead of crafting the parts out of metal. There is really no more craftsmanship in the newer coaches (or and other cars), they are all designed on a computer now, and it shows.
I do have to say though, I do like the Eagle/Federal version, but do not like what Superior did to the rear.
Keith Snyder
PCS Member
John's quite right. According to McPherson, custom glass was and probably remains one of the most costly items in the production of professional cars. But contrary to what you may think, fiberglass is not cheap and good fiberglass panels - without waves (think Corvette here) - are difficult to produce. Such panels - which are now one piece from the windshield header to the back bumper and including the rear quarters - do however allow the coachbulder to design a completely new rear end and, that being the case, should allow them some freedom to make these SUV-based "professional cars" more car-like with a rear fender line and nice talilamps. They can't do much with that ungainly-looking Lincoln chassis but, they could certainly do much better with the overall body design. And the landau bows are mounted too high. Building a funeral car from this ugly SUV is like putting lipstick on a pig - it may look marginally better but, it's still a pig.
John Royark JR
PCS Member
Other coachbuilders may use the one piece fiberglass panels that you mention, but a couple years ago Accubuilt went to a 3 piece design, (top, sides and quarters). Not sure why they changed it, if it was cheaper or added more strength and less cracking. I guess we will find out in a few years.
Funny, I had that same talk with Tom last year. I was fortunate enough to even be drawn a diagram of the way a coach should be designed, which I kept! When I rearrange some of the posters and photos in my garage, I'm framing this and adding to my collection of wall art
Attachments
What I don't like about the Lincoln is the grill. It looks like a big s%$t eating grin.
John Royark JR
PCS Member
What I don't like about the Lincoln is the grill. It looks like a big s% eating grin.
I think the Chessire cat grin is the best thing about it. That and it is actually a big coach again.
John ED Renstrom
PCS Member
no Chesser cat grin there to me. it looks like a whale sucking plankton.
Walt McCall
PCS Life Member
Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder and I don't see any here! The beautiful, truly distinctive styling we used to admire in funeral coaches and passengar-car based ambulances is as dead as the Henney Motor Co. These new Lincoln MKT-based hearses look more like trucks than automobiles. Not the coachbuilders' fault -- they can only work with what they're handed. Better get used to them. - Walt
Walt McCall
PCS Life Member
Beaty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder -- and I see precious little beauty here! Unfortunately, the days of classically-styled funeral coaches and ambulances are as dead as the Henney Motor Company. These new Lincoln MKT offerings are simply way too trucklike in appearance. But don't blame the poor coachbuilders -- they can only work with what they're handed. - Walt
Keith Snyder
PCS Member
Mr. McCall is correct. The coachbuilders are attempting to put lipstick on a pig but, unfortunately, it's still a pig and they've done a sloppy job of applying the lipstick. As I've said before these, all of vehicles (even the base Lincoln) look as if they were styled by Keller & Wonder (Helen Keller and Stevie Wonder).
Black & White
Baines has posted some new photos of the Stratford MKT hearse.
http://www.4hearse.com/special-new.htm
Baines has posted some new photos of the Stratford MKT hearse.
http://www.4hearse.com/special-new.htm
Jeremy D. Ledford
PCS Volunteer Chapter President
One would think that Q.C. would have made sure the coach was finished before it went out for a photo shoot!:3_7_11v:
I will say that this is the first hearse I have ever seen that looks okay with black wall tires.
Jeremy D. Ledford
PCS Volunteer Chapter President
Who is the private coach builder down in the South who does the art deco coaches of yesteryear on new chassis. It would remind you of the classic Packard's, Caddy's and Lincoln's, I remember reading about one of his vehicles in the DeadBeat within the last three years. I couldn't find my old copy. thanks for your help.
Keith Snyder
PCS Member
The landau bows are misplaced - far too high - and the space between the back end of the rear side door and the front of rear wheel opening is too long. Absolutely no design flow or balance to been seen in these atrocious examples of the "coachbuilders" art. These monstrosities are the Azteks of the professional car world.
You mean Prinzing?
http://www.prinzingmc.com/hearse.php
They're not in the south, but they make the coaches like what you're thinking of.
