1939 Packard : One final car ride

Intimidating, isn’t it?

The front section is identical to other 1939 Packards.

Back in the day, decorations were of utmost importance.

We’re not sure that the driver ahead of this procession even realized there was a hearse behind him!

Packard sold chassis separately for use in service vehicles. The front section (including the front doors) was the same as what they used on Packard’s production models. Specialty firms finished the rest, making it into a hearse or an ambulance – or both!

Back in the day, a casket can be loaded into (or out of) the vehicle via the side doors.

Velvet bucket seats. They have lost some of their splendour, but they remain very original!

The only thing missing is a coffin!

The clever Nu-3-Way casket loading mechanism allows you to pivot the casket bed in three different directions.

Yves Berthiaume and his brother, René, of Berthiaume Funeral Homes in Hawkesbury, Ontario. They run the business, which was founded in 1896.

Featuring an efficient ventilation system.

This eight-cylinder flathead engine has 282 cubic inches of displacement. It produces 120 horsepower at 3,8000 rpm. The transmission is a three-on-the-tree manual.

This hearse was based on the 1939 120 model.

Can’t help but get a chill up your spine…

The Nu-3-Way system allows you to move the casket bed left, right and back.

The driving station is the same as the one in a 1939 Packard 120.

The heater is seen here.

The Nu-3-Way system made by Henney.

Brantford Coach & Body Ltd., of Brantford, Ontario, modified the 1939 Packard 120 chassis to create the hearse seen here.