Hearses have their place in the history of hot rodding. 1960s drag racers used them as tow vehicles and mobile apartments during stints on the road with their race cars and their engines have been pulled and dropped into smaller, lighter cars for decades. This 1964 Cadillac is an incredibly clean example of the breed and it has a stately, creepy vibe all of it’s own.
This particular car is pretty rare, even for the hearse world. Known as a three way “side loader” it does exactly what you’d expect. Instead of only loading the stiffs in from the rear as most hearses are setup, this baby opens wide from both sides and the rear to swallow someone traveling via giant zip-loc or pine box. It was cutting edge hearse technology back in the mid 1960s and really jacked the price of the car up from the coach builder. Only about 130 examples were ever produced.
In addition to the rare body, the car itself is pretty rare as it came loaded with virtually every option that Cadillac offered at the time from air conditioning to leather seats, power everything, and a “high tech” AM/FM radio that had a channel seek function. Cutting edge stuff for 1964!
One last piece of trivia. According to the seller, this is the last year that a hearse ever carried fins. We once took a bit og a joy ride in a hearse that was being serviced at the gas station we worked at in high school. The LT1 powered car had some scoot, and got several looks as we rolled along the beach that night. For that reason and a bunch more, we’d love to have this menacing machine!
Source – AutoTraderClassics.com — 1964 Cadillac Hearse
