Raymond Tse’s Mercedes Benz Tombstone

Gravestones are all about preserving a person’s memory. So, for pure hearted gearheads, what could be more fitting than turning that piece of rock into a vehicle replica?

Well, that’s exactly what one family did to memorialize the tragic death of one youthful, die hard auto junkie.

Currently, in New Jersey’s Linden Park Cemetery, there is a full size stone-cut Mercedes sitting atop the grave of Raymond Tse, whose life was cut short at the tragic age of 15. According to family friends, the boy had always dreamed of owning a Mercedes and was even promised one by his older brother David.

In an interview with WeirdNewJersey.com, family friend Richard T. says, “David owned several luxury cars himself and promised to buy Ray one for his seventeenth birthday…David was about twenty years older than Ray.”

When Ray passed tragically, David didn’t want to give up on his promise, so he commissioned a 36-ton granite memorial to resemble the boy’s dream vehicle: a full-size 1982 Mercedes Benz 2400 Diesel limousine. The granite automobile was reportedly built for a whopping $250,000.

The grave is part of a larger family mausoleum on the northern end of the cemetery, a place that is peacefully shaded by full blooming trees and beautiful, neatly trimmed shrubs.

According to a report from Roadside America, three stonecutters from Barre, Vermont spent 1 1/2 years creating the structure from a 66 ton block of granite. Amazingly, every detail (minus the rearview mirrors) has been created with precision and is exactly to form. To add a sense of uniqueness to the creation, though, the carvers included a license plate that dons the boy’s name loud and clear: Ray Tse.

Rest in Peace.