The dusty hearse that was resurrected as a holiday home: 'The Reaper' is a fully functioning campervan that features a kitchen in the COFFIN 

• e-mail

It's not the most conventional holiday home - but this pensioner's holiday hearse is dead impressive.

Norman Crisp has transformed a dusty old hearse into a unique holiday home - which even features a kitchen in the coffin.

Norman's purple hearse, affectionately known as 'the Reaper', is a now a fully functioning campervan, with tinted windows, funky alloys and a coffin that pulls out to reveal a sink and a stove.

Norman Crisp, from Shropshire, has transformed a dusty old hearse into a unique holiday home - which even features a kitchen in the coffin

The hearse is affectionately known as 'The Reaper' and comes with funky alloys and tinted windows. And as this image shows - an eye-catching orange 

The hearse used to be a Ford Granada Scorpio Ghia 2.9L, which took 10 months to convert. It spent three months in the paint shop as part of the process

Norman, from Whitchurch, Shropshire, was inspired by his son's VW campervan - and with a little help from VW Bus Werks, in Market Drayton, he was able to pimp out his hearse into an incredible holiday home.

Norman, 69, said: 'My son had a VW campervan done up really nicely, and I thought it was great.

'Then I was also watching a programme on television where they drove to France in a hearse. I thought, "Wouldn't that make a fantastic campervan?"'

Dead roomy: Norman reclines in the comfy interior of his quirky holiday home, which features lots of mod cons

Despite the quirky nature of the unusual project, Norman's wife Jean (right), 67, has supported him throughout

Eight years ago Norman spent 10 days in a coma following an operation - and his holiday hearse is his way of 'putting two fingers up to death'

'I had this idea of having a coffin as a kitchen. We decided to go local with it and we found Ben Marsden from VW Bus Werks.

'He was very enthusiastic about it - the rest is history. I am over the moon with it. It is absolutely fabulous, I think it's just great.

'I think a lot of people would like to go to their funeral in it!'

Norman started by trawling the internet for hearses and caskets before he finally found the perfect one.

Despite the quirky nature of his unusual project, his wife Jean, 67, has supported him throughout.

It might attract some odd looks as it bombs down the motorway, but luckily Norman and Jean both have a good sense of humour.

Ben Marsden, who owns Volkswagen conversion specialist VW Bus Werks, said he couldn't believe it when Norman approached him with the idea. He said: 'It was a real challenge engineering and building. But it was also a challenge to get everything in that we wanted to'

Eight years ago Norman spent 10 days in a coma following an operation - and his holiday hearse is his way of 'putting two fingers up to death'.

Ben Marsden, who owns Volkswagen conversion specialist VW Bus Werks, said he couldn't believe it when Norman approached him with the idea.

Ben said: 'I thought it was a wind-up to be honest - I laughed my head off. But we thought we could do it - it has taken some months, but we have.

'It took about 10 months in total, but three of those were spent in the paint shop.

'I think Norman has already had some interest from undertakers, and he has been to see a couple of companies.

'I don't know who would want a funeral in this though! It is quite odd, but we are all really pleased with it.

'It was very difficult really - we are a Volkswagen specialist and we generally do campervans.

'But this was something different and it is a difficult feat to take on.

'We put a couple of photos on Facebook and within 30 hours we had around 16,000 hits.

'It was a real challenge engineering and building. But it was also a challenge to get everything in that we wanted to.'