A limousine (or limo) is a longer than normal luxury car. Luxury vehicle is a marketing term for a vehicle that provides luxury &mdash that which is beyond strict necessity &mdash in exchange for increased cost to the buyer The chassis may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coach builder, traditionally black or white in color. Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of White is a Color, the perception which is evoked by Light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive Cone cells in the Human eye Limousines are most commonly driven by chauffeurs and until the mid-1990s were most often associated with the wealthy. Driving is the controlled operation of a land Vehicle, usually a Motor vehicle such as a Truck or a car. A chauffeur is an individual who operates any self-propelled vehicle ( Automobile) for a profession. They are also used for special occasions such as weddings, parties and sight-seeing tours.
While some limousines are owned by individuals, many are owned by governments to transport senior politicians, by large companies to transport executives, or by broadcasters to transport guests. Most limousines, however, operate as livery vehicles, providing upmarket competition to taxicabs. See also Taxicab A vehicle for hire is a Vehicle providing Shared transportation which transports one or more passengers between locations A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride
The word limousine is derived from the name of the French region Limousin, and is associated with the long cloaks once worn by the shepherds there. Limousin ( Occitan: Lemosin) is one of the 26 regions of France. [1]
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Limousine types
A limousine typically has a divider separating the driver from the rear passenger compartment. [1] This partition usually contains a sliding (sometimes soundproof) glass window so that conversations between passengers in the rear compartment may be kept private from the chauffeur. Communication with the driver is possible either by opening the window in the partition or by using an intercom system.
Traditional
Traditionally, the limousine has been an extension of a large sedan. A longer frame and wheelbase allow the rear passenger compartment to contain the usual forward facing passenger seat but with a substantial amount of footroom — more than is actually needed. Usually then two "jump seats" are mounted, facing rearward behind the driver. These seats fold up when not in use. In this way, up to five persons can be carried in the aft compartment in comfort, and up to two additional persons carried in the driver's compartment, for a total capacity of seven passengers in addition to the driver. This type of seat configuration has however become less popular in recent limousines.
Newer limousines such as the Maybach 62, Audi A8L, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Hummer H2, Leyland Miracle, BMW 760li, Lincoln Town Car;L Edition,and the Cadillac DTS do not feature such seats since stretch limousines are usually used to transport more than three passengers, excluding the driver. Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH (ˈmaɪbax (founded 1909 is a German luxury car manufacturer The Audi A8 is a Full-size luxury Executive car built by the German automaker Audi, to replace the Audi V8 The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a series of the largest Sedans produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT manufactured by General Motors under the Hummer brand The Lincoln Town Car is a Full-size, Rear-wheel drive luxury sedan sold by Ford's upscale Lincoln brand The Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan is a Full-size luxury sedan from the Cadillac luxury division of General Motors. In production American limousines however, the jump seats almost always faced forward. The last production limousine, by Cadillac, with forward facing jump seats was in 1987, the last Packard in 1954, and the last Lincoln in 1939, though Lincoln has offered limos through their dealers as special order vehicles from time to time. Vehicles of this type in private use may contain expensive audio players, televisions, video players, and bars, often with refrigerators. A bar is the counter at which drinks are mixed by a Bartender, mainly in Hotels Taverns and pubs.
It is simpler and more straightforward to determine the effects of altering a separate chassis than it is to determine the effects of altering a load-bearing unit body. For this reason, the automobile of choice for conversion into stretch limousines is currently the Lincoln Town Car, whose Panther platform is one of the last remaining automotive platforms using a separate load-bearing chassis. The Lincoln Town Car is a Full-size, Rear-wheel drive luxury sedan sold by Ford's upscale Lincoln brand The Ford Crown Victoria is the current model name Ford uses for the Rear-wheel drive full-size car first produced by the Ford Motor Company for However, coachbuilders have recently built many new models based on SUVs with separate load-bearing chassis, including Hummer H2s and H3s.
Stage
Another type of vehicle modified for multiple passenger use is the motorized stage, applied to the same tasks as the earlier stagecoach. Lada is the Trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Togliatti, ( Samara Oblast or province Trinidad is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. For other meanings see Stagecoach (disambiguation. A stagecoach (also called diligence) is a type of four-wheeled enclosed It is not considered a true limousine but rather in its design and application is between a sedan and a bus. While a bus will have a central interior aisle for access to seating, a stage has multiple doors that allow access to transverse forward facing seats. Examples of the type were constructed not only from sedans (e. g. , Chrysler New Yorker, Cadillac DeVille), but also from station wagons; many of the station wagon conversions sported a large rack, running the length of the roof, for carrying the passengers' baggage. The Chrysler New Yorker was a premium automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation from 1939 to 1996 serving for several years as the brand's flagship model "DeVille" and "De Ville" redirect here For other uses see Deville. A station wagon (or simply wagon) in American, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand usage and an estate car (or just estate
This type of vehicle was once rather common in some locations. An example of its use was in the transport of travelers arriving by railroad at Merced, California to Glacier National Park and Yosemite National Park in the first half of the 20th century. Merced, is the County seat of Merced County California in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. Glacier National Park is located in the US state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. In Glacier National Park, these were referred to as "Jammers" in reference to the nickname of their gear-jamming drivers. In Yosemite, passengers would then stay in rustic platform tent camps or more expensive lodges and hike or rent bicycles for movement around the park.
A modern version of the stage is seen in some novelty stretch Hummer or Hummer H2 vehicles. Hummer is a Brand of Off-road vehicles sold by General Motors, also known as GM The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT manufactured by General Motors under the Hummer brand Some funeral homes maintain six-door stages to carry the family of the deceased between the church and the cemetery. A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and Funeral services for the deceased and their families These are usually not used for private hire.
Exotic limousines
Sometimes a coach builder or car designer will develop the "ultimate" stretch limo, adding amenities that are somewhat impractical but which make a significant design statement. The Ford Excursion is a Full-size Sport utility vehicle that was produced by the Ford Motor Company between model years 2000 and 2005 (2006 in One such design includes double rear axles to support the weight of an operational hot tub. A hot tub is a large home-made or manufactured tub or small pool full of heated water and used for soaking relaxation, Massage, or
Coach builders can perform aftermarket extensions on luxury sedans and SUVs. These extensive limousine conversions have been performed on several luxury marques, including: Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Holden, Hummer, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen. AUDI AG, ( Xetra: NSU commonly known as Audi (aˈʊdi is a German Automobile manufacturer which produces Audi branded cars with headquarters Bentley Motors Limited is an English manufacturer of luxury Automobiles and Grand Tourers Bentley Motors was founded in England ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 Cadillac is a Brand of Luxury vehicles owned by General Motors. Chrysler LLC is an American Automobile manufacturer that has been producing Automobiles since 1925 Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne Victoria. Hummer is a Brand of Off-road vehicles sold by General Motors, also known as GM Infiniti is the luxury car division of Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer based in Coventry, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business is the Luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. Lincoln is an American Luxury car manufacturer operated under the Ford Motor Company. Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned The Volkswagen Phaeton (pronounced "fay-ton" is a large luxury sedan manufactured by German car manufacturer Volkswagen. In the United States the most popular vehicles for stretch limousines conversion are the Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac DTS, Hummer H2, Ford Excursion, and the Lincoln Navigator. The Lincoln Town Car is a Full-size, Rear-wheel drive luxury sedan sold by Ford's upscale Lincoln brand The Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan is a Full-size luxury sedan from the Cadillac luxury division of General Motors. The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT manufactured by General Motors under the Hummer brand The Ford Excursion is a Full-size Sport utility vehicle that was produced by the Ford Motor Company between model years 2000 and 2005 (2006 in The Lincoln Navigator is a Full-size luxury SUV produced by Ford Motor Company for its luxury division Lincoln. There are even instances of Corvettes and VW Beetles being stretched to accommodate up to 10 passengers. The Volkswagen Beetle, officially known as the type 1 and originally called ‘Käfer’ is an Economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen
Most custom coach builders are located in the United States and Europe and cater mainly to limousine companies. Few such vehicles are available for public hire. A typical price to buy a Lincoln Town Car sedan and have it stretched to hold 6 passengers is approximately USD $85,000 (at 2006 prices) depending on the additional features added into the vehicle. In addition to luxuries, security features such as armoring and bulletproof glass are available.
See also
- Car body style
- Chauffeur
- Limousine (carriage)
- List of flagship vehicles by manufacturer
- Luxury vehicles
- Official state car
- Party bus
References
- ^ a b "The Random House College Dictionary" p. Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only A chauffeur is an individual who operates any self-propelled vehicle ( Automobile) for a profession. A flagship vehicle is the most prestigious vehicle in the line-up of an auto marque Luxury vehicle is a marketing term for a vehicle that provides luxury &mdash that which is beyond strict necessity &mdash in exchange for increased cost to the buyer An official state car is a car used to transport Heads of state. A party bus (also known as a Party Ride, limo bus, limousine bus or luxury bus) is a large motor vehicle designed to carry 10 or more people 777 Random House, Inc. , 1975 ISBN 0-394-43600-8
- ^ Toronto Airport Limo
Dictionary
limousine
-noun
- An automobile body with seats and permanent top like a coupe, and with the top projecting over the driver and a projecting front
- An automobile with such a body.
- A luxury sedan/saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur.
Limousine
-proper noun
- A region of France
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