Biemme B12 billed as world's most expensive hearse

The Phantom hearse is the creation of Italian custom coachbuilders, Biemme Special Cars. Biemme officially unveiled the imposing B12 Phantom hearse at 'TANEXPO', a funeral industry trade show, which concluded today in Bologna, Italy.

Biemme have created Mercedes-Benz based hearses in the past, but the Phantom hearse takes it to a whole new - and very expensive - level. While Biemme didn't reveal a price, reports indicate the B12 hearse would cost $500,000. With even second-hand Phantoms going for AU$500,000 and above, a B12 wouldn't give an Aussie buyer much - if any - change out of a million.

Mechanically, the Biemme creation is unaltered, so that mean's the Phantom's 453hp 6.75 litre V12 and self-levelling air suspension is retained. The four-door body is also retained, which is in line with some of Biemme's other Mercedes-based hearses.

The hearse body extension is reported to be done entirely in aluminium, using 650+ feet of welds and 600 individually-assembled parts, including a casket compartment illuminated with LED lighting. All up, the Biemme B12 Phantom hearse comes out at 7 metres (23 feet) long, almost a metre longer than the production long wheelbase Phantom.

In addition to the B12 Phantom hearse, Biemme Special Cars also produce a range of hearses in four-door and the more conventional two-door style, generally on Mercedes-Benz platforms, but have also created a hearse based on Chrysler's PT Cruiser!