This week in in 1977, socialite Sandra West was buried in her Ferrari in San Antonio From the Archives:

Sandra West (Jan. 2, 1939-March 10,1977) was a Beverly Hills socialite and wife of Texas oil tycoon Ike West (Aug 29, 1934-January 1968). When she made her will, she requested that she be buried inside a Ferrari (shown here) “with the seat slanted comfortably." less Sandra West (Jan. 2, 1939-March 10,1977) was a Beverly Hills socialite and wife of Texas oil tycoon Ike West (Aug 29, 1934-January 1968). When she made her will, she requested that she be buried inside a ... more Photo: File Photo Photo: File Photo Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close This week in in 1977, socialite Sandra West was buried in her Ferrari in San Antonio 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

Editor's Note: This story originally ran in 2017.

“Around the time you’re having your second cup of morning coffee, Sandra Ilene West is going to be buried in her expensive Ferrari sports car.”

That’s what the San Antonio Express-News reported in 1977, when the Texas socialite’s lingerie-clad corpse was laid to rest in her favorite, powder blue 1964 Ferrari 330 America at a near East Side cemetery.

On May 19, 1977, West – a Beverly Hills socialite and widow of Texas oil tycoon Ike West – and her $20,000 car were positioned in a concrete box, placed in a grave at the Alamo Masonic Cemetery and covered with cement to thwart vandals.

And while many gathered for the burial, none were mourning family or friends.

Instead, around 300 spectators and reporters looked on to witness a crane navigate around tombstones and place the box into a grave measuring 19 feet long, 10 feet wide and 9 feet deep, according to an original Express-News report from May 19, 1977.

Click through the slideshow to see photos from the unique burial that drew hundreds.

“Of course, this is the most unusual funeral I’ve ever handled,” funeral director Porter Loring told reporters at the time. “It’s been a tough battle trying to keep this as unsensational as possible.”

The socialite, who died of a prescription drug overdose on March 10, requested in a 1972 will that she be buried “next to my husband in my lace nightgown by Porter Loring (Mortuary) and in my Ferrari with the seat slanted comfortably,” the report stated.

At the time of her death, she lived among the rich and famous in Beverly Hills and was worth $5 million that was inherited from her husband after he died in 1968.

Pending a court order from a Los Angles judge, her body was temporarily entombed in a mausoleum in San Antonio’s Sunset Memorial Park, according to archives.

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The 1964 Ferrari arrived by train on May 18, and was watched over by two armed guards at a private location while workers positioned West’s corpse.

Back in California, the widow left behind a $500,000 stamp collection, $500,000 worth of jewelry, a solid-gold fishing reel, two additional Ferraris and a Stutz Blackhawk, according to an April 13, 1977, Express-News report.

The Ferraris were sold to auction that summer, as well as a 4.97-carat and a 6.98-carat ring, which sold for $305,000 and $110,000, respectively, according to a report from June 15, 1977.

It is unclear which Ferrari model West was buried in.

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West’s wealth was left to her brother-in-law, Sol West III, per the 1972 will, though an unknown, additional will drafted in 1976 resulted in legal battles that made national headlines months after her death.

The latter will would have left millions to San Antonio lawyer and longtime family friend Fred Semaan, though in a “fit of temper,” he marked the pages with “void” after West “routed him out of bed six times one night ‘to talk about pure and absolute nothing,” a March 23, 1977, report states.

With a history of prescription drug abuse, West’s erratic behavior rang throughout court rooms as a Los Angeles judge ordered an inquest.

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That summer, her physician, Dr. Raymond Weston, testified that she acted “bizarre” and would describe her as “a psychotic with a tendency toward paranoia and hallucination,” a July 19, 1977 report states.

And now, almost 40 years later, the grassy patch that covers the “bizarre” woman and her cherished Ferrari is visited by thousands of history buffs and sightseers each year. The cemetery is a stop on a number of tours, including the San Antonio Neighborhood Tours, Eastside Cemeteries Tour and Go! Historic SA Guided Running and Walking Tour.

Other prominent residents of the Alamo Masonic Cemetery include Clara Driscoll, who helped preserve The Alamo in the 1900s; John Lang Sinclair, composer of the “The Eyes of Texas,” the school song for the University of Texas; and Robert H.H. Hugman, designer of the River Walk.

rsalinas@mysa.com