If yousa国际传媒檙e driving through the northern British Columbia town of Burns Lake, and happen to notice a hearse coming your way, fret not. This is not a sa国际传媒渨orkingsa国际传媒� hearse, but rather local car enthusiast Cliff Stronstad whipping around in his fully restored 1941 Cadillac Eureka three-panel carved hearse. Yousa国际传媒檇 be forgiven for thinking this set of wheels was something special, though: Only two were ever made.

Lakes District News caught up with Stronstad about the process it took to restore the classic vehicle. sa国际传媒淚 purchased the car in Vancouver in 1989, and drove it 600 miles to Burns Lake. For the first few years I drove it around, and then my wife and I began fully restoring it.sa国际传媒�

Stronstad, whosa国际传媒檚 been working in auto shops since the 1960s, owned and ran Pluto Autobody shop in Burns Lake from 1979 until he sold it in 2008. Hesa国际传媒檚 been a fan of Cadillacs since he was a young man. sa国际传媒淢y first car was a sa国际传媒�64 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Isa国际传媒檝e loved cars, and Cadillacs ever since.sa国际传媒�

The restoration of the car took 25 years and more than 3,500 man hours to complete. Every piece of the exterior is all original, and everything mechanical has been rebuilt.

The history of the car reaches back much further then when he first purchased it in 1989. According to Stronstad, the car was first used in St Louis, Missouri for Peoples funeral home until the mid 1960s. Peoples was run at the time by then-influential politician Jordan Chambers, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.

After the funeral home closed in 1968 following Chamberssa国际传媒� death, the car was bought by Bill Small and eventually moved to Victoria. The car was put up for sale in 1988, and then re-sold in 1989 when Stronstad became its owner.

Stronstad says his affinity for the car is all about its beauty. sa国际传媒淎 car is partly a study in art. I looked at this hearse as an art form. Visually, itsa国际传媒檚 quite striking,sa国际传媒� he says.

Today, Stronstad and his wife can be seen using the car in the summer time; in fact, hesa国际传媒檚 put more than 6,000 miles on it over the past few summers, and says it couldnsa国际传媒檛 be a smoother ride.

sa国际传媒淲henever I get asked how it feels to drive it, I usually tell people that itsa国际传媒檚 like a space shuttle just gliding into a landing,sa国际传媒� Stronstad says. sa国际传媒淵ou cansa国际传媒檛 feel bumps at all, it just feels like yousa国际传媒檙e floating. Itsa国际传媒檚 very smooth.sa国际传媒�

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