Some Terminology

What are professional cars? Professional cars consist of limousines, hearses, flower cars, and ambulances. There are many variants of the above, but you get the basic idea. The PCS (Professional Car Society)is a very involved gorup of people interested in the preservation of such vehicles. Sure, it may seem morbid, or crazy to some of you out there. But consider this; these body styles are all hand built. The commercial chassis and the front and rear clips of these cars are the only thing they have in common with their factories of origin. The roof, glass, and doors are all manufactured by expert craftsmen. Just as the work that went into that Willoughby bodied Duesenberg, or that Dietrich bodied Packard, professional cars are an example of this kind of commitment to quality. Next time you pass by a hearse or a limousine, study the design, and how fluid the proportions are maintained for such a long wheelbase. These underrated automobiles by most collector circles share the same qualities of the cars they collect, with the exception of the role they played in society.

Funeral cars come in many varieties. Especially when looking at the vintages before 1973. There are flower cars, landaus, limousine styles, three ways, combinations, town cars, and my personal favorites, carved sides.

What is a flower car? Flower cars are by far the rarest of professional cars. They consist of a funeral car without the rear roof area. Sort of like an El-Camino (pardon the simile). The rear portion has a tonneau type deck, usually manufactured out of stainless steel. Under this deck there is room for the casket, and above the deck there is room for all the floral arrangements. Hence the name flower car. Not many funeral directors ordered these due to their high cost. As a result, manufacturers only made less than 10 per year.

What is a landau? A landau style hearse has just what the name implies. Landau bars on the C-pillars. Some might have the traditional "S" curve to them while others may have a more abstract "/" look to them. It all depends on the body style and what suits it.

What is a limousine style? A limousine style hearse has glass where the landau bars normally would go. To better explain this, the C-pillars are shorter, and the glass area is longer.

What is a three way? A three way refers to the way the casket can be loaded in or out of the car depending on the circumstance the car was in during a ceremony. Three ways have long doors on either side as well as the traditional rear door. Some of the exclusive models incorporated a turntable in order to make the loading easier.

What is a combination? Combination means combination hearse/ambulance. In some municipalities, there was no such thing as an ambulance service. The funeral directors' cars were used as such. So the combination allowed for this to be done efficiently. Combinations have provisions for the medical personnel in the rear as well as a location on the roof for a removable flashing light. The siren was usually mounted somewhere under the hood. Combinations are quite common, and they usually come from small towns.

What is a town-car style? The town car name (or brougham)is usually given to a long wheelbase car (limousine) whose driver compartment is open. That is, there is a sliding roof panel, or canvas top which opens up the driver's compartment. This style was very popular up to WWII. Town cars are very elegant, and as a funeral car, quite a sight to behold.

What is a carved side? Carved side hearses are (in my opinion) the most exquisite pieces of art on wheels. The entire area where the casket is placed is a wooden or steel bas relief sculpture resembling curtains, pillars, etc. Just think of a gothic cathedral on wheels.

Ambulance Classification

What is a high top? High top is a name given to an ambulance with a tall roof extension.

Visit the Professional Car Society's home page.

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