# Did This Car Exist (Jaguar Hearse in "Harold and Maude")? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644 "2011-04-25T14:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/1 "2011-04-25T14:05:18Z")
In the old 1960’s cult movie “Harold and Maude”, the main character Harold (played by Bud Cort) is given a new Jaguar XKE sportscar by his mother-Harold converts the car into a hearse. Did this car actually exist? Or was it just a studio prop. Actually, an XKE hearse might be a collector’s item!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/2 "2011-04-25T14:23:40Z")
The driving scenes were filmed on location, not in a studio, so there had to be a working model. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/3 "2011-04-25T14:37:49Z")
The [IMDB trivia page](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/trivia)claims the car was destroyed after filming. > [@](#): > > The hearse Harold originally drives is a 1959 Cadillac Superior 3-way model that is one of the most sought after hearses among collectors today but at the time was considered nothing more than an undesirable used car which was purchased for a few hundred dollars. The Jaguar hearse was really destroyed at the end and no replica exists because they only constructed one version for filming. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/4 "2011-04-25T20:15:01Z")
The E-Type Jaguar Hearse was shown driving (often at a fairly high rate of speed) on public roads throughout the film, so yes it was a real working car. It was driven over a cliff just as depicted in the film, causing it to be flattened to about 1/3 it’s original height. BTW, Harold and Maude came out in 1971. Cite: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DPqxNzhyp7w/hqdefault.jpg "Harold & Maude The End") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPqxNzhyp7w) ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/5 "2011-04-25T22:54:09Z")
_Harold and Maude_ was shown as free movie at my college one year (maybe 1978?). I still remember the collective gasp in the auditorium when Harold lit the welding torch. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/6 "2011-04-25T22:59:26Z")
Thanks for the Youtube link! Any idea how old Bud Cort was when he made the film? He looked like he was 12! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-car-exist-jaguar-hearse-in-harold-and-maude/579644/7 "2011-04-25T23:29:44Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Thanks for the Youtube link! Any idea how old Bud Cort was when he made the film? He looked like he was 12! IMDb says he was born March 28, 1948. She was born October 30, 1896