Man converts second-hand hearse into grave-inspired purple camper van dubbed ‘Morticia’ for holiday road trips

A man who is converting a second-hand hearse into a purple, grave-themed campervan after falling in love with it on Facebook Marketplace has named it “Morticia” and says he will be the only person to have woken up in the back of the hearse.

Peter Waddell, from Lisburn, flew to Scotland to collect the vintage Volvo 900 Series dubbed “Morticia the hearse” from an undertakers before driving back to his home in Northern Ireland and is now planning on using for road tripping holidays.

The 43-year-old is considering putting a tombstone above the mattress which reads “you’re a long time dead” along with fake grass on either side so that from the back, it looks like he is “actually lying in a grave”.

His plan is to use the converted coffin transport for holidays at first, but in future “might consider living in it full-time”.

At first, Peter’s mother Maureen, 70, was appalled by the purple hearse, saying “you’re not parking that car here”, but she has now completely bought into the idea and “loves it”.

“It doesn’t bother me at all because they’re already dead when they get into it, whereas I’ll be the only person to wake up in the hearse,” Peter, who works in agriculture, told PA Real Life.

“It’s all about having fun with Morticia the hearse, because you only live once and that’s why I’m just trying to have a bit of craic with people.

“I named her Morticia after the character in the Addams family.”

Peter was looking to buy a van in 2020 but prices “skyrocketed” during the global pandemic and he was forced to put his travel plans on ice.

“Everybody was buying vans and then converting them”, he said.

Then, earlier this year, Peter was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace when he came across a second-hand hearse and “fell in love”.

“Morticia popped up and I just fell in love with her straight away”, he said.

“I immediately thought, I could turn that into a camper.”

The hearse belonged to an undertakers in Livingston, but was rarely used because it was an older model – a Volvo 900, manufactured between 1991 and 1996.

“Morticia was a car that was sitting in the yard but hadn’t been used because they had more modern versions,” he said.

Peter flew form Belfast to Edinburgh and bought Morticia for £3,000 before driving back Northern Ireland and set to work on the conversion, swapping the interior for a mattress.

“I just saw it, and thought, I would love to give something that is looked at with a negative connotation, a positive spin,” he said.

“I’ve completely stripped the interior out.”

He is planning on completely redecorating the inside in keeping with the theme of death.

“I plan on making the inside look like it’s a grave,” he said.

“I’m going to use fake grass on either side of the mattress.

“So when I’m lying with boot open, it will look as though I’m actually lying in a grave.”

One of the car’s most striking features is the outside purple paint work with patches of green ivy, which was done by street artist Hannah Constance, known as HM Constance.

“I wanted ivy on the side to make it look like an old car”, he said.

“We bounced a few ideas about and came up with Morticia, the way she is now.

“Over time, I will be putting a set of gold alloys on it to make it pop even more.”

He also plans to install more practical items, including a battery and fridge.

“In the meantime, I’ve got a single mattress in the back and am using a camping cooking stove,” he said.

Peter has posted a few pictures of his out-of-the-ordinary camper online and received hundreds of comments.

“People were posting lots of puns, like I bet you’re dying to get into it,” he said.

It also attracts a lot of attention on the road.

“When I’m driving it, the attention is just crazy,” he added.

“People pull up beside you laughing and beeping their horn.

“They’re like what the hell is that?”

Peter will spend the next two weeks driving the Wild Atlantic Way, one of the most famous coastal routes, stretching 1,600 miles along Ireland’s west coast.

“Life’s too short, so I like to enjoy myself, and I thought this would give me the opportunity to go touring,” he said.

Next, he is planning on doing Scotland’s North Coast 500 and crossing the Channel to tour the Normandy beaches.

Provided it all goes to plan, Peter has not ruled out moving into the hearse permanently.

“I’m just using it for holidays, buy maybe further down the line, I might consider living in it full-time,” he said.

A number of people have approached Peter to see whether he would be willing to rent it out for a couple of days.

“The idea is to start renting it out to people that I know and trust,” he continued.

“Then once I’ve built up some capital, buy another hearse and then properly rent that out.”

Peter has found renovating the hearse to be a rewarding experience and is looking forward to hitting the road.

“It’s a lot of work but it is also a lot of enjoyment,” he said.

“The sense of achievement I’ve got out of this car so far is unbelievable.

“Things which I didn’t think I could do, I’ve tested myself and done it.”

Find out more about Morticia and street artist HM Constance on social media: @morticiathehearseni @HMConstance