Lincolns
I completely agree with Pete about the '03-'11 Lincoln Town Car. I have always been a Cadillac guy, but was particularly impressed by the '07 Eagle Lincoln Ultimate Elite hearse we bought when I was with Willwerscheid Funeral Home in St. Paul. The car had enough electronic stuff on it to be "modern" but was much more basic than a Cadillac of similar era. This did not affect the ride or luxuriousness of the car in any way. Best of all, this car was (and still is) totally without mechanical problems. In the 5 years I used this car, we only had two very minor coachwork issues, both fixed immediately and without question by Eagle, and NO Lincoln issues.
As for having a skylight in the back of a hearse, I appreciate this feature simply because it lets extra light into the casket compartment. I wanted the '07 Eagle Lincoln to have oval windows because I liked the way it looked from the exterior, but almost as importantly because I wanted it to be bright on the inside as we opened the rear door for pallbearers to load and unload. This is just my opinion, but many landau hearses are way too dark inside; too much like a cave.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to rent a (then new) 2009 Eagle Cadillac Echelon when we needed a second hearse. I found the car to be perfect in terms of limousine-styling and bright in the casket compartment. I'm still not sure about the absence of drapes in the Echelon, however. I'd like to have airline drapes that could be pulled closed if necessary.
The current design of the Eagle Lincoln MKT has nothing to do with seeing the casket from the exterior, but the skylight feature has everything to do with interior ambiance when the rear door is opened.
A few weeks ago, I was involved in the delivery of a new Eagle MKT that has a vinyl top. Some funeral homes like this feature because they feel it makes the vehicle look more "traditional."
(Karsnia photos)
