The Four-door Mercedes Benz W211 was born from the collaboration between the German Binz in Lorch and the Italian Pilato S.p.A. in Nervesa della Battaglia. The initial idea was simple: make an extra-long car body of 153 inches (3900 mm) wheelbase with a standard cabin for 5 passengers and the cabin homologated for funeral cars.
The Italian Pilato took this concept and reinterpreted it with Italian-style, aesthetical details without losing the northern Europe features, in the boot lid especially.
This funeral car is a timeless mix very popular in the period 2003-2006. It was clear since the beginning that a project with such a quality and extent would have had a say even in the following years, after its entry in the used hearses market. The only problem was the availability, due to the rarity of samples.
The company wanted to represent an evolution toward richer and innovative solutions, preserving the daring style of the outside lines even in the coffin compartment.
The idea was that of go over the old barrier of traditional design, based on the use of steel, making simpler, but not depleted forms, and highlighting the technical and functional parts of the coffin compartment.
Pilato didn’t neglect the key role of the natural light that lightens the interior. The purpose was to give a classy imprint with a strong character to the new model. The interior is full of handmade, well-finished details that create an harmonious whole.
Pilato offered a wide range of design proposals, made with artisan passion and careful selection of materials. Essential and functional lines, and high quality finishes where the elegance of the form blends with the modernity of mechanic.
Not only the style, but also the intelligence of the design and the consistent functionality change. The functional aspect was the key point in the past, unlike now where, thanks to this new way of projecting the coffin compartment, the attention goes to details and service quality.
The creation period of this funeral car was the one in which all the manufacturing companies, both in Italy and Germany, began to use the fiberglass to build the car structure. With the new fiberglass working techniques every funeral car model could be made with whichever form and design.
The long-wheeled structure of BINZ allowed to conceive a customized design in an exciting technological environment. This is why, the car body offered many customization opportunities all of them developed by the Italian Pilato S.p.A. in Treviso.
