Vehicle Description
Super original hearse with all original interior and equipment! Shows just 75,000 original miles on the original 6 cylinder drivetrain! Fully serviced after years of long term storage! Take a closer look at this very unique vehicle!
The roots of the Superior Coaches date back to 1915 when The Garford Motor Truck Company of Elyria, Ohio, transferred its production operations to Lima, Ohio. Garford, established in 1909, manufactured heavy trucks. In 1923, Garford introduced a special, 25-29 passenger bus chassis and a group of local, Lima businessmen formed the Superior Motor Coach Body Company to produce deluxe motor coach bodies for the locally built Garford bus chassis.
In 1925, The Superior Motor Coach Body Company introduced a line of hearse and ambulance bodies. These professional cars, built on the Studebaker chassis, were contemporary in appearance and constructed to high quality standards. Later in the early ’30s, after Studebaker had merged with Pierce-Arrow, Superior began producing a line of hearses on the Pierce Arrow chassis. By 1936, the company expanded its product offerings to include hearse models on a Pontiac chassis. The first Superior Cadillac coaches were produced in 1938 and continue to be the platform since used by them today. *History excerpt compliments of Superior Coaches’ company website.
Finding one of the Superior Pontiacs built for those three years can be extremely difficult today, as few find their way to market. We are very excited to offer this 1938 Superior Pontiac Hearse that remains incredibly original and showing just 75,637 miles on the odometer. Fitted on a massive 155” wheelbase, it measures 230” long. Powered by its original 223ci Inline 6 cylinder engine with Carter W1 carburetor, it was rated by Pontiac to produce 85 horsepower and 161 ft. lbs. of torque. Options include 3-speed floor-shifted transmission, two oversized side doors with roll up windows utilizing 4 hinges, and one large fully opening rear door with decorative chrome bar, chrome interior floor rollers allowing the entry of caskets from any side, two removable interior chairs, custom wood flower trays, Lester Tire Co black wall tires, driver side sun visor, passenger side-mounted spare tire with metal cover, and Kysor hot water heater providing heat to front & rear passengers (currently disconnected), front & rear bumper guards, front division window with privacy curtain, decorative curtains on all other windows, and more!
This example had been in long term storage in Ridgeway, MO before coming to the St. Louis Car Museum. To prepare it for roadworthiness and bring it back to life once again, it was treated to a full comprehensive service to include new spark plugs & wires, rebuilt generator, new voltage regulator, all fresh fluids, new battery, new coil, cloth covered engine wiring, drained fuel tank, new fuel pump & inline filter, v-belt, radiator hoses & clamps, rebuilt carburetor, rebuilt front kingpins, tie-rod ends, control arm bumper, new headlamps, wheel bearings & seals, and totally overhauled brake system with new master cylinder, brake hoses, cylinders, and all shoes. Lastly, the wheels were repainted and fitted with new 6.00-16 The Lester Tire Company tires and tubes. It has had limited use since completion in early November. A truly unique opportunity to own a special piece of Pontiac history, let alone a virtually unrestored Superior hearse. It obviously shows patina to the body, chassis, and undercarriage, with faded interior, but original like this it almost impossible to find after nearly 80 years. Please call with any questions or schedule your chance to review it in person. Thanks for looking!
