Local collectors prove interest in hearses is far from dead

Some people collect stamps or coins.

Others prefer hearses.

There are full-size vintage hearses like a 1936 Henney-Packard model. Or there’s a box-like Amish carriage. Then there’s a coffin go-kart.

Most members of the Norwalk-based Phantom Coaches Hearse Club aren’t funeral home directors.

The club, which claims about 180 members worldwide, consists of car collectors who share an appreciation for hearses, flower carts, limousines and ambulances. They attend several automobile-related events, including car shows and parades.

That includes a stop at Sunday’s 18th annual Trick or Treat Festival, where as many as 50 hearses, ambulances and funeral cars are expected to descend on the Orange County Market Place in Costa Mesa for the 16th annual Halloween Hearse Show.

So what kind of person would collect vehicles that once transported the dead for burial?

Someone with the nostalgic impulse that fuels much of the car collector scene and who has an appreciation for the dark side, according to Fountain Valley resident Michael Petrich.

“At first, my neighbors thought I was a weirdo, but now they think it’s fun,” the club member said with a laugh.

Petrich, who owns a 1960 Superior Cadillac hearse ambulance, won Best of Show at last year’s festival. He usually dresses as Grandpa Munster of “The Munsters” TV show, but this year, he said, his costume is a secret.

He also built a go-kart and crafted a replica of Dracula’s casket to put on it.

Petrich said he used to host pumpkin patches and always wanted to showcase hearses at the events. He bought his hearse 19 years ago from a dealer in Los Angeles.

The car was showing signs of decay, he said. The windshield was broken, the doors and siding were scratched and the auto was in need of a paint job.

After refurbishing the hearse, Petrich added a siren to the roof.

He said he runs errands in the vehicle and takes it on the freeway. Drivers typically signal thumbs up or smile at him, and women usually make the sign of the cross, he said.

“Where else can you find a used Cadillac with low mileage?” Petrich said.

For Newport Beach resident Cheri Wilson, owning and driving a hearse has fulfilled a longtime dream to become part of a classic-car club.

Wilson, who owns a 1984 Cadillac Superior Landau side loader with personalized plates reading “Hursula,” said she enjoys being a member of a social club where hearses are the common denominator. Her 31-year-old Cadillac has a little more than 87,000 miles on it.

“I couldn’t afford an expensive car, so a hearse was the perfect choice because it’s original and it’s a unique thing,” said Wilson, who bought the burgundy-colored hearse seven years ago from a dealer at the Orange County fairgrounds. “Every year I pass out candy from my car to neighborhood children, and she’s become a celebrity on Halloween night. My neighbors enjoy it.”

Hearses, Wilson said, are particularly requested for special events and parties in October. Many hearses owned by members of the Phantom Coaches Hearse Club have appeared in movies, videos, television shows and commercials.

The National Funeral Directors Assn. projected that 2015 will be the first year in which more Americans are cremated than buried, meaning a hearse carrying a body to a cemetery may be part of a fading era.

The Halloween Hearse Show will include a procession around the streets bordering the Orange County fairgrounds, and organizers will present awards to hearse owners who exemplify the Best Theme Display, the Best Restored and Best Engine, among others.

“I found a new love for a car that is so unique,” Petrich said. “It’s the best Cadillac you could ever buy.”

If You Go

What: 18th annual Trick or Treat Festival featuring the Halloween Hearse Show

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Orange County Market Place at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: $2 (free for children 12 and younger)

Information: (949) 723-6660 or ocmarketplace.com