By the early 20th century, this new-fangled contraption called the automobile had begun to catch on, with thousands of them being built every year. More and more people were riding around in cars, presumably getting lost a lot, since Google Maps hadn't been invented yet. Apparently, it wasn't long until someone wondered why only living people should have all the fun. So, in 1916, Cadillac produced the chassis for its very first funeral car, the carved-panel hearse. It looked like a very ornate, boxy carriage on wheels with large, curtained windows for viewing the casket.
This was not the very first motorized hearse ever produced, though at the time, most hearses were still horse-driven carriages. Undertakers were eager to make the switch to motorized hearses, though, because it meant they could bury people faster, enabling them to schedule even more funerals. Cadillac seized on the opportunity and developed relationships with coach builders to become the go-to manufacturer for hearse chassis. Cadillac would never build entire hearses itself, but it quickly became dominant in the industry. These coach builders would go on to include Sayers & Scovill, Superior Coach, Miller-Meteor, and the Eagle Coach Company, among others.
Cadillac hearses would go on to feature prominently in movies, specifically a certain franchise that dealt with the busting of ghosts. A long line of U.S. presidents would take their final rides in Cadillac hearses as well. Even today, Cadillac chassis dominate the hearse industry, continuing to provide chassis for luxury models. However, we're not sure the company would approve of this monster-truck modification of a Cadillac hearse.
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The use of gas-powered hearses dates back to 1909, when undertaker H.D. Ludlow commissioned one for use. Before then, the motorized hearses that were in use were electric. These were in direct competition with horse-driven hearses, which had the advantage of being more affordable to most mourning families than the motorized versions. Still, funeral homeowners preferred the motorized versions because they were faster. We're guessing they wanted the faster hearses so that they could do more funerals in one day. It's not as if the passengers were in a hurry, after all.
Cadillac jumped in the game in 1916, with the carved-panel hearse. The vehicle was actually built by coach builder A. Geissel & Sons on a Cadillac chassis. Cadillac would go on to partner with various coachbuilders down through the years to produce hearses and ambulances. Cadillac would provide the chassis, while the coach builders would build the actual vehicle.
During the 1920s, gas-powered hearses became more affordable and would gradually become more common at funerals, causing lots of horses to lose their jobs, we guess. But Cadillac's early foothold gave it an advantage. It began producing chassis built specifically for commercial uses and launched its Imperial line of hearses and ambulances in 1926. By the end of the '20s, Cadillac was off to a great start on its way to eventually dominate the hearse chassis market. In 1931, Cadillac started producing the Cadillac Commercial Chassis, a chassis dedicated to professional vehicles. This chassis was used from 1931 all the way through 1979, when it was discontinued. Now, standard Cadillac models are modified into hearses by cutting them in half and fitting them onto longer, stronger chassis.
You know that funky old, iconic wagon that was used in the "Ghostbusters" movies? It was called the Ecto-1 (Ecto-1a in "Ghostbusters II" after some upgrades) and was in reality a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance/hearse. That unforgettably unique-looking vehicle with its swoopy tail fins can be seen in four out of five (as of this writing) "Ghostbuster" movies. A different Cadillac hearse, a pimped out 1982 Fleetwood DeVille, would be used in the 2016 movie.
Actually, multiple Miller-Meteors were used on-screen in those four movies, and the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles claims to have one on display. The car is so popular with movie fans (though some would actually list it among overrated movie cars) that even replicas can sell for six figures. In 2021, a replica sold at the Las Vegas Barrett Jackson auction for $220,000. If you don't have that kind of cash lying around and would still like your own Ecto-1, there's always the Lego version and an impressively faithful Hasbro version.
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Elvis Presley loved Cadillacs, and some have estimated that he owned around 200 of them in his lifetime, and he famously gave several of them to family and friends. It's only appropriate, then, that his final ride would be in a Cadillac hearse. The vehicle that transported his casket during the funeral was a 1977 Miller-Meteor Landau. It was followed in the procession by 16 white Cadillac limousines, which transported the mourners.
Several deceased U.S. presidents have been transported in Cadillac hearses. John F. Kennedy's body rode in a 1964 Cadillac hearse from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas to Air Force One. Gerald Ford was transported in at least two Cadillac hearses. One was used to convey his body from the airport to the Capitol when his after his body was flown to Washington to lie in state. His body was afterwards flown to his hometown, Grand Rapids, where it was transported in another Cadillac hearse. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, likewise, were transported in Cadillac hearses.
A 1966 Cadillac Superior Royale Coach was used briefly to transport the body of Martin Luther King, Jr. It took him from the hospital in Memphis, the city where he was shot, to a local funeral home for a short showing. Then it took him to the airport where his remains could be flown to Atlanta for final services.
Did you know that there is at least one 1916 Cadillac hearse still around? One was restored by W.R. Bennett Funeral Coaches, a company that specialized in rebuilding vintage hearses (someone has to do it). This earned them the Best Use of Wood prize at the Classic Chassis Grand Revue in Ionia one year. Hey, of all the ways wood gets used, this is probably one of the cooler ones. In 2002, Grand Rapids Magazine referred to the 1916 hearse as the "oldest known hearse in existence".
We couldn't find what happened to that car, but in 2024 someone named Sheldon Donig posted pictures of his 1916 Cadillac hearse on Facebook, saying he understood it to be the oldest surviving Cadillac hearse in existence. We reached out to Donig, who couldn't confirm that his car is the same one that was restored by Bennett Funeral Coaches, as he bought it 30 years ago. But at least one of these ancient models are still around, which is kind of ironic, considering most of its passengers aren't.
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Cadillac is still a prominent part of the hearse industry. According to the AAA, "the vast majority of hearses made today are built from Cadillacs and Lincolns." A new hearse can set you back $100,000. One impressively stylish model is the XT5, sold by Federal Eagle Coach. The XT5 is a great choice for a hearse, as it made Consumer Reports list of best deals on SUVs for 2025. It comes in all-wheel drive, and is stuffed with features including Wireless Apple CarPlay and Wireless Android Auto capability. SiriusXM radio, and available Wi-Fi. And why not? You can't spell "funeral" without "fun", after all.
Another interesting model is the Cadillac XT6 S&S Florentine Flower Car Hearse, sold by American Coach Sales. Flower cars often have open backs like a pickup and are often used to carry the funeral flowers or to carry the casket covered by flowers. The XT6 hearse looks like a cross between a pickup truck and a hearse, except it has a vault-like structure in the back to hold the coffin.
Cadillac's continued dominance in the hearse industry is ironic, considering that dominance is based on vehicles it doesn't actually build. But the company's place in the industry is undeniable and isn't showing signs of going away any time soon. And, thanks to the involvement of this luxury brand, rich and poor alike will often be given their last ride in style.
