You usually see plenty of hearses and limos on display at a funeral industry expo, and there were plenty at the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) expo this year. These vehicles from Executive Coach Builders take the concept higher – high enough to stand up straight inside the vehicle!
Dave McPhail points out the features in the ECB Family Coach Sprinter, a combination hearse and family limousine. Usually, you’d have the family follow the hearse in a separate limo or their own cars. But this Mercedes-based vehicle combines a six-passenger cabin with a full-size hearse.
In the passenger section, there’s an awesome sound system, television screen, beverage center, comfy seating for six and lots of storage for umbrellas and other items. The hearse section has a hydraulic lift to raise and lower the casket – it can be viewed through the big windows in the back. There’s also storage for flowers and the cart to wheel the casket from vehicle to grave.
The other vehicle in the video below is a Sprinter 14 Passenger Limousine. It’s a $97,000 party car that Dave says actually gets good gas mileage (but he didn’t tell me the MPG). It can be used to transport a family for a memorial service – with an urn holder option – or for a night on the town – remove the urn holder to reveal an ice bucket/champagne cooler!
All of Executive Coach Builders’ vehicles are hand built in the United States. The company is based in Springfield, MO. They build five cars and five vans a week. Find out more at their website, www.ECBLimo.com.