1977
Hess & Eisenhardt [see
S&S, below] (USA)
Miller Meteor (USA) various commercial vehicles such
as ambulances, hearses and combination vehicles, like the example below:
 
At right is this year's Athena landau
funeral coach
I'm guessing this custom job is based
on a Miller Meteor funeral coach
Phaeton Coach Corporation (USA) Stretched
limousine-office for the busy executive
  
S&S (USA) Various
commercial vehicles for the ambulance and funeral trades; none currently available for
display here
This one obviously has seen better
days
[ Photo: Flickr ]
Schmidt, Michael (USA) Built custom limousines in
the eighties, including this ultra-stretched 1977 Eldorado with rumble-seat and
Jacuzzi for two.
 
Left: when you've seen a Caddy with a Jacuzzi,
you've seen it all
Right: shapely California blonde invites us aboard...
Superior (USA) Various commercial vehicles
for the ambulance and funeral trades like the hearses illustrated below:
 
These two rows: the popular Victoria model
The Superior Crown Sovereign Landaulet
The Superior Regal
The Superior Sovereign Limousine
The Superior Sovereign Victoria
 
  
These two rows: Superior hearse with
patented extension table
 
Superior hearse interior details -storage boxes
  
Details
[Unknown, USA]: So far I have not been able to identify the coachbuilder of this
surviving ambulance.
[Unknown, USA] This custom stretched limousine was
used in a the 1984 movie "Killpoint"..
 
This custom job was featured in a movie
[Unknown, USA] customized 4-wheel 1975-76 Eldorado. This car was featured in the Guinness Book of
Records as the longest passenger automobile on four wheels. It was offered for sale on
Ebay in Jan., 2008. I give you the vehicle's description ...complete with spelling
mistakes: One of a Kind
Custom Car, 1984 Guinness Book of World Records. As seen on the cover of the book...
1977 Cadillac, 40ft. long 2 axel [sic] 4 wheels Automobile/streetlegal;
"As long as a City
Bus" this famous car as seen around the world not only in Guinness Book of
Records but also "Life Styles of the Rich and Famous". "Ripley's Belive
[sic] It or Not", Inernational [sic] Television and Magazines, Talk show
from Japan, France, Germany, Sweeden, Italy, Israel, and England.. The Globe, Star,
National Inquirer, Vouge [sic], La Magazine, are just some of the many
magazines that did major stories on it, it has all the press releases with it. Complete
Restoration: Computer bar, 3 Televisions, 2 VCR's, Compact Disc Stero [sic],
Intercom Systerm [sic], Celler [sic] Phone, Seats 1-15 people
comfortably, Air conditioning, Skylights, and More!!! Promotion Suggestions: Special
Events, Video's, Charites [sic], Public Relations, Films, Commercials, Still
Shoots, Posters, Parades, ect.[i.e. "etc."]..
 
 
 
Here is the restored car, as offered for sale on Ebay
in Jan., 2008; it has gained
a tire cover for the Continental kit but seems to have lost the small, rear quarter
windows
[ Photos: Internet, 1/2008 ]
1977-1979
Armbruster Stageway (USA) stretched, 6-door airport limousine.
Photo McC p.404
 
1978
American Coach Corporation (ACC) (USA) In the late
seventies, following Cadillac's decision to abandon the convertible, this company built
not only stretched limousines for oil-rich Arabs but also converted coupes to
convertibles.
Above and below: 42" stretched Cadillac
limousines
built on both the Sedan de Ville and Fleetwood Brougham chassis
 
Armbruster Stageway (USA) built a 10-inch stretch on
the Seville chassis [see McC, p.426]
Hess & Eisenhardt [see
S&S, below] (USA)
Miller-Meteor (USA) Various commercial
vehicles for the ambulance and funeral trades; typical hearse styles are illustrated
below:
The Citation model
The Classic model
The Crestwood model
The Olympian model
 
The Traditional Landau model
 
A survivor ...in Belgium, no less !
[ Photos: © 2007 and courtesy "The Corpse Drivers" ]
 
 
Above four rows: interior and exterior details of
these typical Miller-Meteor hearses
S&S from Hess & Eisenhardt (USA)
Various commercial vehicles for the ambulance and funeral trades.
 
A surviving Hess & Eisenhardt S&S
limousine ambulance;
this one was for sale at the Doug Scott dealership in CA
[ thanks, Sarah, for the info ]
Superior (USA) S&S (USA)
Various commercial vehicles for the ambulance and funeral trades; non currently available
for display here.
[Unknown, USA] : So far I have not been
able to identify the coachbuilder of this surviving funeral coach.
1979
American Custom Coachworks (USA) designed a number of
custom cars on Cadillac chassis stretched limousines, pick-ups and convertibles [see
McC, p. 430]
Armbruster Stageway (USA) Stretched
limousines for business and funeral trades
The Manhattan stretched limousine
McClain Leasing (USA) built a small number of flower
car conversions for the funeral industry.
Miller Meteor (USA) various commercial vehicles such
as ambulances, hearses and combination vehicles, like the example below:
 
The Olympian (?) funeral coach
[ note the one on the right does not have the full "over the roof" saddle
]
This looks like an Olympian coach (as above)
but the decorative landau bars are different
 
Left: the Classic funeral coach
Right: the combination coach-ambulance
 
Athena funeral car
Moloney Coach Works (USA) designed a number of custom
cars on Cadillac chassis including stretched limousines, sedans and convertibles
 
Phaeton Coach Corporation (USA): Conversions and
stretched cars on Cadillac chassis
 
 
S&S [Hess & Eisenhardt] Already in
1956 H&E had designed and built two security cars for the White House [see Professional Cars section for 1956]. These
were finally retired from service in the early seventies. This car was designed to
take their place.
White House security car, from the Reagan
administration
S&S (USA) Various
commercial vehicles by Hess & Eisenhardt for the ambulance and funeral trades; non
currently available for display here.
Superior (USA) Various
commercial vehicles for the ambulance and funeral trades; few currently available for
display here.
The Crown Sovereign model
[Unknown] (USA): Possibly McClain,
although I have one of their correctly identified creations above.
Various manufacturers (USA): as usual, Cadillac
delivered its highly successful commercial chassis to a number of independent coach
builders who continued to design ambulances, hearses and combination vehicles. One
of these is shown below:
According to my young friend and professional car
enthusiast, Sarah from Cleveland, OH,
this vehicle appears to her to be a '79 Superior (1 of 9 built that year); she
believes
it was acquired originally by Dr. Roger White to be kept as a collector car.
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