Previously, if you wanted your last ride in a Ford Mustang, you had no choice but to Tetris-ing a very awkward coffin.
Now, the British coach Coleman Milne has revealed the solution: a hearse conversion Ford Mustang Mach-E.
While it may not use the classic V8-powered Mustang as a base, the Mach-E crossover seems to be an easier base to work with.
Called the Etive, after the river in the West Scottish Highlands, the 6.28m long hearse and its limousine counterpart will be produced in both left and right hand drive.
They will be available for demonstration in the first half of 2023, with Coleman Milne expecting type approval to be achieved by the second quarter of 2023.
The Etive model will undergo structural endurance tests at Millbrook in the coming months which the coach says is “to verify its integrity across 40,000 miles [64,378km] road use].”
The hearse model has a glass roof, aerodynamic wreath rails and three full-size carrier seats with lap-sash seat belts. Buyers can also specify a power tailgate, a full-size sliding deck, a sliding underpainting deck and illuminated signage.
The limousine seats seven passengers in addition to the driver and is 114mm taller than the regular Mach-E.
Both body styles use a 75kWh battery with a claimed WLTP range of 322km, quite a bit short of the Mach-E’s claimed 439km.
Coleman Milne says a full set of active safety and driver assistance features, including lane keep assist, are standard on the convertible. The front of the cabin will also be familiar to Mach-E owners with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and portrait-oriented 15.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
“We have long championed electric hearses at Coleman Milne,” said Coleman Milne national sales director Graham Clow.
“The excellent and long-standing relationship we have with Ford allowed us to model the range on its Mach-E platform. The Mach-E is the perfect base for a comfortable, quiet and dignified hearse and limousine, while also providing funeral directors with all the benefits and innovations found in today’s electric vehicles.”
The Mustang Mach-E is not the first electric model from Coleman Milne, with the Whisper hearse derived from the Tesla Model S. It also produces a model based on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class plug-in hybrid.
No other coach appeared to build a hearse out of a Mustang, although an enterprising Mexico City resident made the final ride out of a fifth-generation Mustang.
Coleman Milne has converted Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce products, but is perhaps best known for his Ford hearse.
After the Ford Granada and Scorpio went out of production, Coleman Milne used various Australian Ford products although these were not officially sold in the UK.
Converted models include BA/BF Fairlane and FG Falcon.