Oct 26,2010: Professional Cars

[xoxoxoBruce]

From ProfessionalCar.Org;

A professional car is loosely defined as a custom-bodied vehicle, based on passenger car styling, and used in the funeral, rescue or livery services. Such vehicles may be hearses, flower cars, service cars, ambulances, limousines, or cars which are special built to combine two or more of these different functions, such as combination hearse-ambulances, sedan ambulances or invalid coaches. 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.

Of course like everything else, there are people who passionately restore and collect them.

Next time you pass by a hearse or a limousine, study the design, and see the designers are able to maintain fluid proportions on such a long wheelbase. For many professional car enthusiasts, these vehicles are the epitome of automobile design.

Like I said, passionately.

Now one guy, Fernando Aguerre, has found and started to restore this pair of '42 Cadillacs, a hearse and a flower car, in Argentina.

We recently made the acquaintance of Fernando Aguerre, a surfer who lives in California, but who also keeps a sizeable car collection in his native Argentina. While all of the cars in his collection are impressive, his latest two additions – a pair of 1942 Cadillacs – are certainly the most unique.
Fernando said he’s not sure who transformed them into a hearse and a flower car, but whoever it was certainly had a patience and a skill for woodworking: Both cars feature elaborate hand-carved wood bodies from the cowl back, each with its own unique swirl and wave patterns.

He started with the flower car. Here the body work is finished and paint applied, ready for electrical and mechanical work, although he said the engines run very well. That's far from the finish paint on there, just good enough to check for flaws in the body work.



They were found in a "barn", along with a pair of horse drawn vehicles of very similar design.
Of course they are one of a kind, but even the cars they were built from are rare, any 1942 American non-military vehicle is rare.

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[zippyt]

Schweet !!!
Verry cool !!

[HungLikeJesus]

When you see a hearse go by...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ask the guy walking behind it if his mule is for sale.

[casimendocina]

Amazing.

[Trilby]

Shades of Animal House.

[Diaphone Jim]

I am afraid I can't figure out the mule reference.
Googling it only comes back here.

[xoxoxoBruce]

An old hillbilly farmer had a wife who nagged him unmercifully. From morning til night (and sometimes later), she was always complaining about something. The only time he got any relief was when he was out plowing with his old mule. He tried to plow a lot.

One day, when he was out plowing, his wife brought him lunch in the field. He drove the old mule into the shade, sat down on a stump, and began to eat his lunch. Immediately, his wife began haranguing him again. Complain, nag, nag; it just went on and on.

All of a sudden, the old mule lashed out with both hind feet; caught her smack in the back of the head. Killed her dead on the spot.

As he was walking behind the hearse, on the way to the cemetery, men and women would approach him for a moment then fade back to the curb. At the cemetery the minister spoke to the old farmer, and asked him what the people were saying.

The old farmer said, "Well, the women would come up and say something about how nice my wife looked, or how pretty her dress was."

"And what about the men?" the minister asked.

"They wanted to know if the mule was for sale."

[spudcon]

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[xoxoxoBruce]

The question is, the guy that went to the trouble and expense of painting that hearse... is he stupid enough to believe it, or clever enough to fool stupid people into believing it? Could be both?

[spudcon]

Obviously he has enough money to buy and paint a hearse. If he chooses to demonstrate his right to free speech, he isn't stupid. How many millions did George Soros waste trying to get Kerry elected? That was a much bigger case of stupidity. And he continues to support stupid ideas to this day.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by spudcon

If he chooses to demonstrate his right to free speech, he isn't stupid.

The fact that one exercises their free speech does not reflect in any way on their intelligence.

You could say "If he chooses to demonstrate his right to free speech, he isn't necessarily stupid." And then that would be correct.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Forget it glatt, he's already tried to misdirect the conversation away from something he can't defend.

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by spudcon

...How many millions did George Soros waste trying to get Kerry elected? That was a much bigger case of stupidity. And he continues to support stupid ideas to this day.

Because the 2nd 4 years of Bush were so good for the country?

[Diaphone Jim]

Thanks, Bruce. Funny.
I also have to say the "painted hearse" exchange was confusing until I opened up the comment page: Spudcon's pic did not come up on the original page, only here.