No discussion of unconventional hearses would be complete without at least mentioning the most famous hearse of all, the Ecto-1. While the car that carried the Ghostbusters on their haunted adventures had a custom paint job and a few aftermarket additions, it was a relatively popular funeral car once upon a time.
As the name suggests, the vehicle was a collaboration between Cadillac and a coachbuilding company called Miller-Meteor (via Quantrell Cadillac). Cadillac built the frame, engine, and most of the mechanical parts and then handed the car over to Miller-Meteor. They were responsible for putting on the final touches that would transform an ordinary Cadillac into a limousine, ambulance, or hearse. At one point, Miller-Meteor’s professional vehicles were so popular that they controlled more than half of the market in the United States (via Coachbuilt).
The same qualities which made Miller-Meteor vehicles so popular among professional drivers and consumers are the same qualities that made it desirable for “Ghostbusters.” Its sleek 1950s mid-century modern design commands attention and hints at a time when Americans looked toward the future with hope. When they believed. Or maybe it just looks cool. In any event, Miller-Meteor has since gone out of business but there are some ’59 hearses cruising around out there, and some have even been customized to look like the fiction ghost-mobile.