This year marks 100 years in business for F Cobbett & Sons Funeral Directors, who operate six funeral homes in South London as Evershed Brothers. The firm recently took delivery of a third brand-new bespoke Vito removal vehicle from Superior UK Automotive Ltd; this vehicle is their forth in total, as they also run a stunning Pilato Grand Aurora Jaguar hearse – which was one of the first in the country.
Warwick Cobbett, the third generation of the Cobbett family to run the business, explains why this latest Vito required a bespoke deck design and some specialist modifications.
Warwick commented, “Besides having six busy branches in London, our vehicles make long trips in the UK and even outside the country for repatriation services – all our Superior Vitos work hard for our business and have proven to be exceptionally reliable.”
He added, “We had already asked Superior to customise their famous ‘Rise&Fall’ decking system to accommodate repatriation caskets on previous vehicles, and the modifications were spot on – this time, we added the challenge of including a storage space that could accommodate a wheeled bier.”
Superior MD Kevin Smith rose to the challenge and built Warwick, a bespoke deck that perfectly houses a full-sized collapsable wheeled bier. Kevin commented, “We were delighted with the end result; the bier slides in seamlessly and leaves ample room for storing other critical equipment.
He added, “We made light modifications to carry a flight tray, which is a substantial casing surrounding the coffin on the upper deck, whilst retaining full functionality for stretcher removal.”
On delivery, Warwick and the F Cobbett & Sons team were thrilled with the latest addition to their funeral fleet – a brand new selenite grey Superior Vito removal with an expertly modified deck in heavy-duty grey laminate.
Kevin commented, “We were pleased to help Warwick with another quality vehicle which will keep up with the needs of his busy London funeral firm for many years to come.”