The Origin of Limos

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Whenever we hear the word limousines, the first thing that comes to mind are expensive vehicles affordable only by the wealthy. However, all of that has changed.

Origin of Limos

The origins of limousines stems from the concept of a chauffeured vehicle that has been in existence since the 1700’s. The origin of limos can be traced back to Limoges, a province in France that started it all. For the wealthy in this province, it was a common practice to use horse drawn carriages, adorned in gold and pulled by the finest animals. In a limousine, the driver and their fare are in entirely separate compartments and this is the notable feature that distinguished early limos from other vehicles.

In 1902, the first automobile limousine was developed. It was designed in a way so that passengers sat outside under a separate, covered compartment. As the years passed by, the demand for spacious interiors grew, which paved the way for the creation of the first stretch limousine in the year 1928. The first stretch limousine was created by a coach company named Armbruster in Fort Smith, Arkansas. During those days, popular band leaders such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman used stretch limousines for transportation of their bands, orchestras and quipment as well as their instruments across various parts of the United States. As a result of this, these early stretch limousines were often referred to as “big band buses”.

Official definition of Limousines

In 1916, an official definition of limousine was created by the Society of Automobile Engineers. It stated that a limousine could be defined as: “a closed car seating three to five inside, with the driver’s seat outside.” Two versions of standard limousines were then created- Berline and Broughan. A berline was a limousine having the driver’s seat entirely enclosed and a brougham being a limousine with no roof over the driver’s seat.

Limousine – The Luxury Transport Vehicle

Limousines started becoming popular as a luxury vehicle during the 1920’s. In the 1930s, the popularity of limos began to peak with high-profile business executives and celebrities traveling via limousines as a status symbol. During this time, leading hotels started using the limo to transport guests from the airport to the hotel, thus the nickname “Airporter Stretch Coach” was born. With a rise in demand, limousines were extensively being used for sightseeing tours and business transportation. The growing popularity of limos attracted the movie industry, and they also jumped on the bandwagon. Movie production houses started using limousines to carry film crew and stage personnel around movie sets. The buzz around was that you weren’t considered “special” unless you arrived in a stretch limousine. Therefore, all top actors, actresses, bureaucrats and corporate biggies made it their standard accessory to showcase their special lifestyle. Soon after, the six-door limousine was invented. These were built on a Cadillac chassis and added to the ever increasing popularity of this vehicle.

Limo usage across the globe has grown, especially since “no drink and drive” policies have taken hold. Apart from the comfort, style, lavish interiors, space and other luxury benefits, the separate driver and fare compartment makes it the most preferred vehicle for transportation for high profile guests.

Even though limos had been prominently used to shuttle the rich and famous, the new breed of stylish limos with new technologies and their capability to carry larger numbers of people are gaining popularity. These new fleet of limos are perfect for transporting large amounts of people around to parties, clubs, proms, corporate events, weddings and wine tours.

In New Jersey, Limo Bus Rentals NJ has one of the state’s largest limo fleets. They are ready to serve you with reliability, safety, and distinction.

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Content and Optimization by Geoff Caplan