Family fined after burying Mercedes-Benz with father at funeral

Need to know

A family in China’s Liaoyang region buried their late father alongside his beloved £120,000 Mercedes-Benz S450L luxury car, complete with a specialised number plate worth nearly £30,000, only to be fined by local authorities the following day.

Mercedes Burial Madness: Need to Know

• A Chinese family buried their late father’s £120,000 Mercedes-Benz S450L during his funeral in a bizarre tribute to the car-loving dad.
• The luxury motor, complete with a prized ‘8888’ number plate worth nearly £30,000, was decorated with red ribbons before being lowered into the ground using a forklift. The funeral took place in China’s Liaoyang region on April 9, with locals helping to shovel dirt over the flashy black Merc.
• Villagers who attended were rewarded with red envelopes containing 500 yuan (£54) and treated to a luxury banquet. The number plate was highly sought after as the number eight symbolises wealth and good fortune in Chinese culture.
• However, the family’s unusual send-off landed them in hot water with authorities the very next day. Local civil affairs officials punished the family, believed to have the surname Yin, for the stunt.
• The family issued a public apology but offered no explanation for their actions. While Chinese funeral traditions sometimes involve burning objects loved by the deceased, burying an entire car crossed the line.
• They now face hefty fines and may have to pay for excavating the motor, plus site clearance and ecological restoration costs. Wang Peng, a lawyer at Beijing Fahuan Law Firm, warned that “failing to complete proper scrapping procedures could lead to administrative penalties, even if the car was privately owned.”
• He added: “If the number plate is forged, those involved may also face administrative detention.”
• READ THE FULL STORY: Rich family slammed for burying £100k car during funeral as authorities step in