Help W/ Flower Car ID

P

Paul Yates

Hey guys!

Hoping you can help me ID this flower car. I'm not very versed in flower cars. This is only the 2nd I've ever seen in person. The coach is at a local funeral home. The FD, who is a very nice gentleman, actually approached me asking if i would be interested in his Lincoln, seen in the second pic. It was funny because he said, "Your the guy in town with the hearses right"? I said yes and he asked if i had any other license besides a drivers license, because he didn't need any competition. I got quite a kick out of that.

Anywho, this coach showed up about 9 months ago. It was around for a few weeks then was gone.

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Then it showed back up, and has been here in this spot for the better part of 7 months.

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Sorry for the poor pic but I'm not much into trespassing. I have inquired once about it and he says it is not his, but a business partners, and he was pretty sure he didn't want to sell. Be wasn't interested in offering the persons name. Well after several months seeing it in this poor state, i have tied up a couple deals on other coaches. I'm looking to pursue this one again. My good friend in the local PD is trying to trying to pin down the owners name. Can any one ID her? I know all flower cars are relatively rare, but i haven't found one like this on the web. I am absolutely head over heals for it and determined to own it. Also, when the FD is ready, ill be purchasing the lincoln. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks guys!
Paul
 
That flower car looks similar to one I've seen around the Chicago area too, but try as I might, I just can't remember the conversion company. I'll keep my eyes open for it again though!

Something to remember about flower cars, is since one can be made with little more than a Sawz-All, not every flower car came from an actual conversion company. There were scores of flower cars made by local body shops, dealers, and even homebuilt for funeral homes that didn't want to spend the money on a coachbuilt car just for carrying flowers. The one in your photos looks like it could very likely be one of these locally-done jobs. Even though it is a long-wheelbase car, that doesn't necessarily mean it was coachbuilt either. Many an old hearse got cut down into a flower car as well.
 
Patrick is very correct. Ive seen many homebuilt flower cars that could pass as something from a big coachbuilder.
This one kind of reminds me of this conversion, could be the same builder? It dont help much though I dont know who did this. I think it is a pic from Jeremy ledford, but not certian, please claim the pic if it is yours, I want you to get the proper credit.


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John Royark JR said:
Patrick is very correct. Ive seen many homebuilt flower cars that could pass as something from a big coachbuilder.
This one kind of reminds me of this conversion, could be the same builder? It dont help much though I dont know who did this. I think it is a pic from Jeremy ledford, but not certian, please claim the pic if it is yours, I want you to get the proper credit.


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That has to be the least practical flower car I've ever seen! Even at my height, I need a small stool in order to wash the center part of the roof on my hearses. Now imagine trying to not only get flowers up there, but then arrange them and secure them. That's another thing about this car, there's no air buffer to direct the air around or over the flowers. Somehow I can see suitcases up there though, going on vacation! Its the Wagon Queen Addams Family Truckster Hearse Option! :D
 
You guys may be absolutely right. I hadn't considered that. I think the fact that it appeared to me to be a long WB Commercial Chassis lead me to believe it was indeed coach built. I never considered it could have been built from a hearse which makes sense.

Ill definitely be looking into this one more very soon and ill be sure to relay any information the owner gives me, even if he isn't willing to sell. I'd still like to know.
 
John Royark JR said:
Patrick is very correct. Ive seen many homebuilt flower cars that could pass as something from a big coachbuilder.
This one kind of reminds me of this conversion, could be the same builder? It dont help much though I dont know who did this. I think it is a pic from Jeremy ledford, but not certian, please claim the pic if it is yours, I want you to get the proper credit.


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Nope, I can't claim those pics! But when I saw the car in discussion and was thinking the ones you have pictured may have been it but its not. Did answer that question for me. Seems like these pics were made in Georgia? Cary L. perhaps?
 
Jeremy D. Ledford said:
Nope, I can't claim those pics! But when I saw the car in discussion and was thinking the ones you have pictured may have been it but its not. Did answer that question for me. Seems like these pics were made in Georgia? Cary L. perhaps?
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I could be wrong, but I think I took those pictures. That was back in about 1996/97. If I didn't take them, I took very similar ones. The car had been sitting in downtown Atlanta at Shields. They had two parking lots, and this sat in the lower lot. You can see the upper lot in the background of the first photo. Danny and I used to go down every so often, and he'd buy a handful of cars each time.

As for the car, I don't really remember the details, but hopefully Danny or Cary will. I believe it was a hack-job done for a local funeral home and based on a sedan, and this was (thankfully) the only example.
 
Adam Borkat said:
I could be wrong, but I think I took those pictures. That was back in about 1996/97. If I didn't take them, I took very similar ones. The car had been sitting in downtown Atlanta at Shields. They had two parking lots, and this sat in the lower lot. You can see the upper lot in the background of the first photo. Danny and I used to go down every so often, and he'd buy a handful of cars each time.

As for the car, I don't really remember the details, but hopefully Danny or Cary will. I believe it was a hack-job done for a local funeral home and based on a sedan, and this was (thankfully) the only example.
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Hey those are my pictures or I had some like them. Made at Shields when they were fixing to move from down town atlanta to marietta. I traded a limo for about 16 old hearses and limo's in late 90's. Tried to buy this silver flower car but actually belonged to funeral home and they thought it was worth $3500 or so, kinda rough then and I would not give it so they finally came got it. I think I did end up with the black car next to it though.
 
Even though I'm an ambulance guy, I do find most hearses and flower cars to be quite attractive. But that silver "flower car" or whatever it is, that's about the most unattractive professional car I've ever seen. That is just awful! :myopinion:

The one Paul posted, while unusual, looks a lot better to me.
 
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