Lilie - 1930 Nash Vintage Hearse
The latest addition to the vehicle fleet of W. Abraham Ltd is a beautifully restored 1930 Nash 480 Special Six Hearse. What started out as a Millennium project only began when the 73 year old vehicle was discovered via the internet in a shed in Chicago, where it had been sitting for the last 23 years. The 6 metre long vehicle had done only 11,500 miles and had only 4 previous owners. We contacted the president of America's Nash Owners Club who went and inspected the vehicle, and reported back to us that it was in good order and was certainly worth restoring. It only just fitted in a 20ft container, and was shipped out to NZ, arriving in December 2001. It was drivable but needed a lot of restoration, mainly interior.
Bringing the hearse back to her former elegance was the task of a local classic auto company, with the proviso that it was to be done properly, with no shortcuts, and kept as close to original as possible. The oak framing had dry rot, so that needed to be replaced before the steel panels could be worked on. Beech and marine ply was used. The original deck was there with chrome rollers and ball-rollers for sideloading. The hearse was stripped down to the chassis, primed and painted and any parts that were broken or needed replacing were hand made or were available from two other Nashes already owned by the company.
The hearse was originally built by the AJ Miller Hearse Co., Bellefontaine, Ohio (which is still operating) for the Sears Funeral Co. of Ely, Minnesota then sold to the Ramsay car dealership in Enoka, Illinois.
Some time in the 70's the vehicle was sold to a man in St Cloud, Minnesota, and finally sold to Mr David Brady in Harvard, Illinois. The motor is a twin ignition straight six connected to a three-speed gearbox, with cable brakes, on 19inch wooden wheels, and is 99% original.
The hearse was completely reupholstered using an imported American fabric designed for this type of use. The name Lilie on the personalised plate was coincidental as the previous owner had named her Lilly, and this was the name of Mr Willie Abraham's late wife, and so the name was kept, although the spelling altered to allow us to purchase her "name-plate."
Much interest has been shown in the hearse including that from the Miller Hearse Co. in the USA, and photographs and information has been exchanged between the two companies. We have used her on several funerals, and she has appeared in some car shows in the area.
The families that we serve and the general public ask for her by name, so she is proving to be a great public relations asset. Our funeral director's - Bronwyn Macey, Megan Head, Mark Baker and myself have all had to learn how to drive Lilie, and adapting to a whole new way of driving has proven fun.
Lilie is now back at work serving the community and is available on request.
Pictured below is Barrie Head, Managing Director in a Daily News photograph taken when Lilie first arrived to New Zealand
