To many people, cars are just cars - a box of metal to get you from A to B and back again. To others, they are beautiful and symbolic vehicles in which to take their final journey.
One funeral director in south Birmingham is offering what are known as 'alternative hearses' which are a world away from the staid and sombre tradition of black limousines.
Mortons Funeral Directors' fleet of more than 30 vehicles has a broad mix from Volkswagens to Land Rovers and Minis and managing director Sarah Case told BusinessLive how the concept was increasing in popularity.
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"As with anything in life, the choices are much greater than they ever have been and the conversation is opening up around funerals," the 38 year old explained.
"Walking through the doors of a funeral director is quite daunting. Nobody chooses to plan a funeral, it's done because they have to.
"Just being aware of the choice (of vehicles) available and being able to reflect someone's personality, hobby or former working life, the quirks of that person and give them a fitting farewell, is one of the many ways that people can personalise that funeral service.
"It lightens the topic a little, knowing you're doing something that would have the approval of that person who has passed away.
"If you're planning your own funeral, it gives the family you're leaving behind reassurance you've had what you want, not what others think you might want."
Mortons Funeral Directors, which works with pre-paid funeral plan provider Golden Charter, has 26 staff and is headquartered in Northfield, with sister offices in Rubery and Cotteridge and a hearse depot in Tardebigge, near Bromsgrove.
It has a long-standing heritage in the city, where it employs 26 staff, after being originally founded in 1898 by the Morton family who passed its ownership down through generations until a decade ago.
Sarah's father Derek joined in the early 1980s to manage the business and in 2015 Miles Morton, the grandson of the company's founder Albert, was looking for new ownership so he could retire.
Derek and Sarah bought out the Mortons, ending the family's 117-year-long connection to the business.
Sarah had studied law and criminology at university and was planning to become a police officer before having a change of heart while sitting on a beach in Thailand.
She came back to join the firm, completed a diploma in funeral directing and worked her way up to become managing director. Derek, 65, is now semi-retired but stays connected in a consultancy capacity.
In 2022, Sarah led the buyout of two companies in Nuneaton which ran alternative hearses, starting off with a fleet of just six cars.
It now has 32 for people to choose from, including a heavy connection to nearby Longbridge and its manufacturing history, something Sarah says is very popular among locals.
The fleet includes Trudy the Morris Minor, a Classic Mini called Bert - a nod to Herbert Austin - and Trevor the Austin 6 CWT alongside a VW camper van, Land Rovers and a London cab.
One of the Land Rovers even comes equipped with a large stereo fitted inside a wheel arch, prompting one person to choose Meat Loaf's iconic Bat Out of Hell for their funeral march.
The conversion process entails removing the passenger seat to create the space for a coffin and the cost can run into the tens of thousands.
The core business is still as traditional funeral directors, with an 80/20 revenue mix alongside the hearse hire business.
Clients are not restricted to the West Midlands either, with the vehicles transported by trucks to funerals in all four corners of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.
"We want them to arrive in pristine condition and, given that some of them are classic vehicles, you would not want to drive them long distances," Sarah explained.
"These cars work well for clients in our own area but also elsewhere - we've sent them up to Scotland and the Isle of Wight. We were fortunate in that we started with vehicles we knew worked well the length and breadth of the country.
"We also regularly get asked now for a following limousine so, while we have quite an extensive fleet of hearses, we also have Volkswagen, Land Rover and Rolls-Royce limousines for the family to follow in the cortege.
"We're continuing to embrace technology to streamline what we're doing, keeping our eyes and ears open as to what it is that clients and funeral directors want."
