Inside the custom Mercedes that carries Canberrans on their final ride

Want to save on your registration? Buy a hearse. For real.

“Registration is special,” William (Bill) Cole explains.

“It’s a little bit cheaper than standard because the the third-party component is lower on a funeral-vehicle because they reckon it’s less likely to be involved in a prang.”

It’s one of the many quirks about one of cardom’s most unique spin-offs – the hearse – Bill has learnt in 35 years running William Cole Funerals, a family business he and his wife Christine started in Canberra in 1990.

His latest hearse arrived two months ago – a sparkly navy-blue Mercedes-Benz S-Class. And yes, technically, anyone can buy one – there’s no funeral-home registration requirement to place an order.

“They don’t come out of the factory looking like this,” Bill says.

“There’s a coachbuilder in Europe, Pilato, and they take a standard long-wheelbase Mercedes and build on it. Then it’s finished off by a supplier in Tenterfield. He’s always busy – he does most of the hearses in Australia.”

William Cole Funerals started with just one second-hand Ford XE station wagon converted to a hearse. Today, there are four in the fleet: two Mercedes-Benzes, a Chrysler 300C and a Ford Falcon.

The two Mercedes carry most of the workload, and for a good reason.

“We do about 20 funerals a week, and the Mercs do the bulk of them,” Bill said.

“They’re so much better – just like driving any other car. Corners and parking are a bit of an effort, but they’re easy to manoeuvre compared to the Chrysler.”

His son-in-law, Naithan Matthews, who joined the business in 2006, agrees.

“You feel pretty classy when you’re driving these. They’re definitely a class vehicle and have a better turning circle. I like the Chrysler too, but the Mercs make you feel pretty special.”

The technology has improved over the years too.

“The bed wasn’t always electronically operated,” Bill added.

“We used to have to slide it out by hand, with legs popping out like an ambulance stretcher. Now the whole bed comes out electronically.”

But if you’re wondering why William Cole’s hearses ditch the traditional black colour, that’s deliberate.

“I had blue from the word go, just by accident,” Bill said.

“It happened to be the colour that was available, I thought it looked good, and we’ve stuck with it. Funeral directors have mostly had silver forced upon them, because that’s the way most hearses come. We didn’t want black, because most people don’t want black anymore. But navy is still dark, conservative, respectful – all those things.”

Other funeral homes have experimented too.

“There’s a guy in the Hunter Valley with a maroon hearse – he reckons it goes well with the wine country,” Bill said.

Driving a hearse comes with its own set of rules too.

“I remember my first drive. It was stressful. I kept thinking ‘I better not go too fast’,” Bill said.

“Depending where you’re going, you want to be at least 10 km under the posted speed limit. In fact, when Tobin’s first came to Canberra – where I started – they had a Melbourne rule that you always travelled at 40 km/h in procession. But that’s a bit impractical here – you can’t be doing 40 down the Parkway.”

Public reactions vary.

“Some drivers are polite and slow down. Others don’t give a damn, and have to be ahead,” he said.

While the hearses draw the eye, Naithan says the “most rewarding” part of the work is guiding families through the “worst time of their life”.

“It can be quite taxing to be around grief every day. Some people want to celebrate, others are devastated. You try to make it as easy as possible for them,” he said.

“It’s 100 per cent rewarding. You’d be doing well to find a job that’s more rewarding than helping families at the worst time of their life.”

But if anyone does want to choose a particular hearse for their funeral, that’s an option too.

“Most people don’t pick out a hearse,” Naithan said. “But you absolutely can.”

Hint: go the Mercedes …

Visit William Cole Funerals for more information.