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Cramp Brothers Bodyworks, Hobart. |
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This is the 1935 Dodge hearse of Classic Funeral Coaches Tasmania, taken in the late 1970s or early 1980s, at Derwent Bridge in Tasmania. Within a few years of this photo, the car fell into disrepair, and sat neglected in a paddock until purchased and restored by Geoff Cuthbert. Built by Cramp Brothers in Hobart, the hearse is powered by a six cylinder side valve engine, with a 3 speed manual transmission.
In the 1920s and 1930s, it was common for funeral companies to update their hearses by grafting later model front panels to an older body. This saved them the expense of building a new hearse from scratch, yet gave their cars a modern appearance. This 1936 Dodge hearse has doors which would be more suited to a 1933 or 1934 Dodge, and the body itself appears to be from an even earlier car. This car is currently in the hands of a Melbourne restorer.
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