Background
BMW 502 with Westfalia funeral trailer is an unusual combination in the collection, bringing together one of the best-known German luxury saloons of the 1950s with a type of funeral trailer once used in Germany. This was not an official BMW special version or a factory-built hearse, but a Schuco model set that provides an opportunity to explore an interesting chapter in the history of post-war funeral vehicles. The dignified and prestigious appearance of the BMW 502 suits such a combination visually, although available historical sources do not confirm that a BMW 502 and Westfalia trailer were ever actually used together for funeral transport.
Westfalia funeral trailers
Special Bestattungsanhänger, or funeral trailers, offered funeral companies a practical alternative to purchasing a dedicated hearse. The coffin was placed inside a specially constructed enclosed trailer, while an ordinary passenger car could be used as the towing vehicle. This allowed the same car to be used both for everyday business purposes and for other journeys, reducing the need for an expensive specially bodied vehicle. Westfalia produced such trailers during several periods, and a number of original examples have survived to the present day.
Vogt’s historic Westfalia trailer
The background to the Schuco model set is connected with the historic vehicle collection of Bestattungsinstitut Vogt in Markdorf near Lake Constance in Germany. The Westfalia funeral trailer preserved in the company’s collection dates from 1969 and was originally used mainly together with a Mercedes-Benz 200 D purchased in 1967. This arrangement provided considerable flexibility, because the Mercedes could be used for both business and private journeys. The trailer weighed approximately 340 kg, and a separate roof rack could be fitted to carry flowers used in funeral processions.
Practical, but not an ideal solution
The funeral trailer was practical, but it also had disadvantages. According to memories of the Vogt family, the combination of the Mercedes 200 D and Westfalia trailer became particularly inconvenient in winter road conditions. After one especially difficult journey in snowy weather, the company eventually decided to purchase a dedicated hearse, and a Mercedes-Benz 300 D with Pollmann coachwork later joined the fleet. This illustrates why funeral trailers remained more of a compromise solution and never displaced purpose-built hearses.
The BMW 502 in the Schuco model set
For its model set, Schuco chose to combine the Westfalia funeral trailer with a BMW 502 saloon. In the documented historic Vogt combination, however, the same type of trailer was actually towed by a Mercedes-Benz 200 D, a difference that has also been noted by Auto Bild Klassik. The Schuco BMW 502 set should therefore be regarded more as an attractive collector’s model than as an exact reproduction of a specific documented historical vehicle combination. Nevertheless, the black bodywork and dignified character of the 1950s BMW luxury saloon give the set a very convincing period appearance.
BMW 502
The BMW 502 itself was one of BMW’s most important early post-war luxury cars. Closely related to the BMW 501, it introduced an aluminium V8 engine to the BMW range and became one of the company’s most prestigious automobiles of the 1950s. With its large body, dignified styling and luxurious character, cars from the BMW 501 and 502 family were used in a variety of official and representative roles. The technical specifications and more detailed history of the BMW 502 are covered separately on the dedicated BMW 502 page.
Historical significance
The main value of this model set lies in the way it draws attention to a transport solution that has today been almost completely forgotten. Funeral trailers belonged to an era when specialised vehicles were expensive and existing passenger cars were expected to serve as many purposes as possible. Although the Schuco BMW 502 with Westfalia trailer does not represent an exactly documented real-life combination, it provides an interesting opportunity to tell the story of this practical and unusual branch of European automotive and funeral transport history.
Model in the collection
The model in my collection was produced by Schuco and consists of a black BMW 502 saloon together with a Westfalia funeral trailer. In the Schuco catalogue, the set is listed as “BMW 502 mit Bestattungsanhänger Westfalia”. It was produced as a limited edition of 1,000 examples. Schuco’s own catalogue confirms both the model-set designation and the production run of 1,000 examples.
Technical data in brief
Towing vehicle: BMW 502
Trailer: Westfalia Bestattungsanhänger
Trailer purpose: coffin transport
Historic reference: Bestattungsinstitut Vogt’s Westfalia funeral trailer
Schuco model set: BMW 502 with Westfalia funeral trailer
Model manufacturer: Schuco
Model production run: 1,000 examples
Special feature: Schuco collector’s set combining a historic Westfalia funeral trailer with a BMW 502, although the documented original combination used a Mercedes-Benz 200 D as the towing vehicle