38-year-old vehicle far from being given last rites

‘She’s been a good, reliable old vehicle and a very smooth ride. Well I haven’t had any complaints; no one has woken up in the back!’

The 1983 hearse was sold within 20 minutes.

For more than a decade, Gary Mullins has taken the road death travelled, driving a very unique set of wheels. Now, he’ll say a final goodbye to his favourite ride, a 1983 hearse.

“She’s been a good, reliable old vehicle and a very smooth ride. Well I haven’t had any complaints; no one has woken up in the back,” he laughed.

The Coffs Harbour resident said competition for the vehicle was pretty stiff, but took just 20 minutes to sell the hearse online, marking the end of a quirky relationship that included the occasional cheeky prank.

“I once took it to a Halloween night in a small country town, but before I went out there, I installed a fogger,” he said.

“I sat at the pub dressed like one of the characters from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and as people gathered around the hearse, I’d hit the button to release the fog. A few people screamed, while others laughed.”

The custom licence plates have turned heads over the years.

Mr Mullins said that despite the age of the vehicle, she was far from being given her last rites.

“I drive her to work every day; she runs just fine,” he said.

“It had two spells at a funeral home, and for a few years, she was stored in a shed. She‘s also still very popular with the revheads who hire her out for their funerals.”

Mr Mullins said he purchased the hearse from a friend who worked in the death care industry.

“My friend and his father owned the funeral home and drove it for work. One day I was going past and saw it for sale sitting out the front. I remember him asking me what on earth I was going to do with a hearse,” he said.

“Well, I decided to put a V8 in it and got some custom number plates that read DED14U (dead one for you). Most people laugh when they see the plates.”