1937 S & S Coach

1937 Sayers and Scovill Funeral Coach at home in the Coach Haus.

This 1937 funeral coach was built by the Sayers and Scovill Coach Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. During the 1937 model year, S&S utilized the Buick chassis for their elaborate funeral coaches, however they went to great lengths to disguise the actual chassis manufacturer.

The funeral coach you see here is S&S's top-of-the-line offering for 1937, and is called the Byzantine model. It features a large, three section, arched drapery panel on the sides, dual side mount spare tires, nickel-plated coach lamps, a spacious and very ornate casket compartment, and the S&S year marks (also known as "date marks") on the grill. The interior of the casket compartment is a Masterpiece of gothic design, featuring burgundy mohair fabric and walnut paneling. Nickel plated coach lamps illuminate the interior, and a small window is placed in the center of the carved draperies for the display of a Crucifix or Cross. There are extension rollers at the rear loading door that pull out to ease the loading of the casket into the coach.

You would never know this is a Buick. S&S removed all references to the chassis maker, including the glove box door insignia, grill badges, and even the hub caps. The hub caps are engraved with the proud S&S initials in a six-point shield. Upon lifting the side of the hood, the heritage of this automobile is apparent, as block letters spelling out BUICK are written across the valve cover of the big, green, straight eight engine.

The use of the S&S year marks actually began two years before, in 1935, as Sayers and Scovill sought a way to disguise the chassis manufacturer and the exact year of the vehicle. These year marks, in one form or another, became a tradition with Sayers and Scovill funeral coaches for generations, only disappearing in the last few years.

Inside the driver's compartment of the Byzantine funeral coach, you're surrounded by dinoc woodgraining on the metal dash and door panels, as well as burgundy mohair fabric. Your view over the long, slender hood is exceptional. Don't look back, though, as the tiny mirrors are of little help when backing the car. An optional, aftermarket, Arvin heater is snuggled up under the passenger side of the dash. This car has the torque-tube drive, and a three-speed floor-shift manual transmission.

Mounted on the driver's side front bumper of the funeral coach is a SILENT SIREN. This light flashes on and off to warn oncoming traffic that a funeral cortege is approaching. I was privileged to purchase this new-old-stock unit from Mike Riefer of Owensville, MO in 2003. Its box had never been opened.

In the fall of 2004, I was privileged to attend the S&S and Hess and Eisenhardt employee's picnic with Carl Woerner. What a fantastic group of men and women, with fascinating stories! Amazingly, at least one of these gentlemen remembered building the carved side coaches on the Buick chassis, and gave me details about the assembly of the roof of the car! Here's a group photograph from the day of the picnic.

From 1975 to 2001, this car was owned by Donald Gerber, former owner of Gerber Chapel funeral home in suburban St. Louis. In August 2001, I purchased the coach from him. Prior to 1975, the car was in Florida and before that, in Pennsylvania. The rest of the coach's history is probably lost to the ages. Mr. Mac McCown, owner of McCown Coach Sales in St. Louis for many years, drove the coach from Florida to St. Louis in 1975. Several years later this coach carried "Mac" to his final resting place, in accordance with his wishes.