Ever wondered why hearses feature those distinct metal S-shaped scrolls near their back windows?

If you’ve ever attended a funeral (or been part of the procession on the road), you’ve likely encountered a hearse. And you might have noticed that these vehicles usually lack rear windows, replaced instead by S-shaped bars. But what’s the reason behind this design?

The diagonal metal rods on the back panel of hearses are called “landau bars.” While purely decorative today, they originally served a practical purpose and remain as a tribute to tradition.

The landau carriage was first introduced in the mid-18th century. The Oxford English Dictionary traces its name to a German town where the vehicle was originally crafted. The term 'landauer' is short for 'landauer wagen.'

This lightweight coach, designed for four passengers and suspended on elliptical springs, was an early version of today’s convertible cars. Its collapsible roof, divided into two sections (front and rear), was secured in the middle. The roof’s external hinge required a long mechanism for support, and to enhance its luxury appeal for wealthy clients, the hinges were adorned with elegant S-shaped scrolls.

In the past, early horse-drawn hearses were designed with fully functional landau bars. Before World War II, American automobile hearses adopted the landau bar feature as a tribute to Old-World elegance. Over time, the landau bars became a recognizable symbol of funeral cars, and today, most hearse manufacturers continue to include them on limousines out of tradition.

Funeral directors might refer to the vehicle carrying a casket as a 'coach' rather than a 'hearse,' a term popularized by Jessica Mitford in her book, The American Way of Death Revisited. This shift was part of a broader change in funeral-related terminology during the 20th century. Other terms that were phased out include 'morgue' (replaced with 'preparation room') and 'undertaker' (now known as 'funeral director' or 'mortician').