It wasn’t too long ago when we started out, in 2009, as nobodies. With only $600 to his name and fewer than 5 people who believed in his vision, Elson Chong, at 24, staked his life savings on his ambition and founded Serenity Casket & Funerals. In an industry that was accustomed to maintaining impersonal, transactional relationships with families, Elson pledged to do things differently with Serenity and provide, instead, a family-style hospitality to them. 13 years later, Serenity Casket & Funerals is now one of the leading Christian funeral companies in Singapore. It may be safe to say we have turned a corner.
In the past month, as some of you may know, we unveiled a project that we have kept under wraps for nearly 2 years. Freccia, our Maserati Premier Limo Hearse, is a step we have been meaning to take as part of our expansion, as a company devoted to offering the best products and services to our clients. If you have been following us for some time, you probably know Chelsea, our Mercedes Premier Limo Hearse. Introduced in August 2014, Chelsea represents one of the first milestones we hit as a company in our infancy—our very own in-house hearse. It was a huge achievement for us and it marked the surge in popularity of using limousines as hearses in Singapore as opposed to the vans and lorries of the past.
Freccia, like Chelsea, serves similarly as a milestone marker. Besides being the first Maserati Limo Hearse the whole of Asia has ever seen, Freccia also holds a special personal meaning for our founder.
The word ‘Freccia’ is Italian. It translates to ‘arrow,’ a symbol commonly taken to represent improvement because of its movement forward when launched, and, like an arrow hitting its target, the achievement of one’s goals. For Elson, the arrow is the perfect allegory to describe our journey thus far as well as our vision for the future—it illustrates the progress Serenity has made in the 13 years since we began, and looking ahead, our hope to move the needle on service standards in the industry and continue our march towards modernity. Freccia, the name and the car, is thus the culmination of a seemingly unlikely dream, conceived 13 years ago, and the years of effort making it a reality since, by our Serenity team.
Where Chelsea was elegant and sleek, Freccia is futuristic and fierce. Measuring 6.5 metres long, the custom hearse is a behemoth of epic proportions, immaculate in its glossy white exterior and plush ivory interior. It enraptures and captivates the moment it is beheld, turning heads and inspiring questions of wonder: What is this magnificent vehicle? Who commands it? Where is it going? At least, that has been our experience so far.
In many respects, Freccia is at once timely and ahead of its time. We saw to it that it was a hybrid, a decision aimed at greening up the funeral industry by lowering its carbon footprint, in opportune alignment with the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Yet it is also unmistakably modern: its luxury origin in the Italian brand makes it one of the rarest hearses in the world, cementing its status as an exclusively elite vehicle. Then there is the matter of its trunk: so dazzling with its fifteen spotlights shining in perfect unison upon the casket nestled in its embrace that all eyes are certain to be fixed on it.
What is the measure of a spectacular farewell? We say it is the deceased’s final ride. Freccia, in all its colossal glory, is the hearse made for just that. For those who wish to go out with a bang, choose Freccia. It will be a glamorous homecoming.