Meet the new Ford you really can have in any colour you like…as long as it’s black. It’s a hearse and a surprising one at that. You will soon be able to send off your loved one in the back of a Ford Mustang.
No, not the classic ‘Stang we know and love from racing and the Bullitt car chase, but the reinvented Mustang Mach-E battery-electric version of the Blue Oval’s famous pony car. All electric, quiet as the grave and zero-emissions, the funereal Ford promises to be silent but deadly.
“Mustang” might be American for high performance but chances are the Mach-E’s turn of speed – the best version of the regular model despatches 0-62mph in a death-defying 3.7 seconds – won’t be the hearse’s main selling point. This is one fast Ford destined to go very slowly indeed.
From horse to hearse in one jump is all thanks to funeral vehicle specialists Coleman Milne. The British firm has been converting saloon cars into hearses since 1953 and these days is first choice of funeral directors throughout the UK.
With a stretched wheelbase and huge and glassy grafted-on extension, its latest model eschews the Mustang’s rakish looks for a coffin-accommodating rear end that ensures everyone gets a great view of the sole occupant on his or her final ride.
The Bolton-based company already offers an electric hearse based on the Tesla Model S. But its new Ford conversion, called the Etive after the Scottish river, is the firm’s first full-size, zero-emissions hearse.
It is also the first to be available as an electric limousine. The stretch limo is 114mm taller than the standard Mach-E and puts its extra length (it’s 6.2m long) to good use with six doors and seven passenger seats.
“The Mach-E is the perfect base for a comfortable, quiet and respectful hearse and limousine, while also providing funeral directors with all the benefits and innovations found in today’s electric vehicles,” Coleman Milne sales boss Graham Clow tells us.
Plugging in on the way to the crem' will be unnecessary thanks to a 75kWh battery for a 200-mile range. The Etive gets a flat, full-length rear deck, glass roof, three seats for the pallbearers and what Coleman Milne calls “an aerodynamic wreath rail”. Options include a power tailgate and illuminated signage.
The world’s most surprising Mustang? Has to be. Steve McQueen will be spinning in his grave…
Ford
Mustang Mach-E
News
News
News