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Limousine

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
This article is about limousine cars. For the band, see The Limousines. For the former administrative region of France, see Limousin.
See also: Pullman (car or coach)
1908 Studebaker limousine with an open driver's compartment1953 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV (coachwork by Hooper)
1908 Studebaker limousine with an open driver's compartment
1908 Studebaker limousine with an open driver's compartment1953 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV (coachwork by Hooper)
1953 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV (coachwork by Hooper)

A limousine (/ˈlɪməziːn/ or /lɪməˈziːn/), or limo (/ˈlɪmoʊ/) for short,[1] is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.[2]

A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a professional driver is called a stretch limousine.[3]

In some countries, such as the United States, Germany, Canada, and Australia, a limousine service may be any pre-booked hire car with driver, usually but not always a luxury car. In particular, airport shuttle services are often called limousine services though they often use minibuses.[2]

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Chauffeur

Chauffeur

A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.

Vehicle for hire

Vehicle for hire

A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing private transport or shared transport for a fee, in which passengers are generally free to choose their points or approximate points of origin and destination, unlike public transport, and which they do not drive themselves, as in car rental and carsharing. They may be offered via a ridesharing company.

Airport bus

Airport bus

An airport bus, or airport shuttle bus or airport shuttle is a bus used to transport people to and from, or within airports. These vehicles will usually be equipped with larger luggage space, and incorporate special branding. They are also commonly painted with bright colours to stand out among other airport vehicles and to be easily seen by the crews of taxiing aircraft when negotiating the aprons.

Minibus

Minibus

A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger-carrying van or panel truck. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 12 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses. Minibuses are typically front engine step-in vehicles, although low floor minibuses are particularly common in Japan.

Etymology

The type of limousine hood or roof described in the text (1912 Vauxhall)
The type of limousine hood or roof described in the text (1912 Vauxhall)

The word limousine is derived from the name of the French region Limousin. However, how the name of the region transferred to the car is uncertain.

One possibility involves a particular type of carriage hood or roof that physically resembled the raised hood of the cloak worn by the shepherds there.[4][5]

An alternate etymology speculates that some early chauffeurs wore a Limousin-style cloak in the open driver's compartment, for protection from the weather.[6] The name was then extended to this particular type of car with a permanent top projecting over the chauffeur.[4] This former type of automobile had an enclosed passenger compartment seating three to five persons, with only a roof projecting forward over the open driver's area in the front.[7]

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Vauxhall Motors

Vauxhall Motors

Vauxhall Motors Limited is a British car company headquartered in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. Vauxhall became a subsidiary of Stellantis in January 2021.

Hood (headgear)

Hood (headgear)

A hood is a kind of headgear that covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. Hoods that cover mainly the sides and top of the head, and leave the face mostly or partly open may be worn for protection from the environment, for fashion, as a form of traditional dress or uniform, or in the case of knights, an armoured hood is used for protection against bladed weapons. In some cases, hoods are used to prevent the wearer from seeing where they are going. Hoods with eye holes may be used for religious purposes to prevent the wearer from being seen. In the case of Ku Klux Klan members, terrorists, or criminals such as robbers, a hood with eye holes helps prevent identification.

Cloak

Cloak

A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and are worn in countless societies. Over time cloak designs have been changed to match fashion and available textiles.

Etymology

Etymology

Etymology is the study of the history of the form of words and, by extension, the origin and evolution of their semantic meaning across time. It is a subfield of historical linguistics, and draws upon comparative semantics, morphology, semiotics, and phonetics.

History

Rich owners of expensive carriages and their passengers were accustomed to their own private compartments leaving their coachman or driver outside in all weathers. When automobiles arrived the same people required a similar arrangement for their chauffeurs. As such, the 1916 definition of limousine by the US Society of Automobile Engineers is "a closed car seating three to five inside, with driver's seat outside".[8]

In Great Britain, the limousine de-ville was a version of the limousine town car where the driver's compartment was outside and had no weather protection.[9]: 103  The limousine-landaulet variant (also sold in the United States) had a removable or folding roof section over the rear passenger seat.[9]: 100 

In the United States, sub-categories of limousines in 1916 were the berline defined as "a limousine having the driver's seat entirely enclosed", and the brougham, defined as "a limousine with no roof over the driver's seat."[8]

  • Diagram showing an exposed driver's seat

    Diagram showing an exposed driver's seat

  • 1915 Winton Six Limousine- note the open driver's compartment

    1915 Winton Six Limousine- note the open driver's compartment

  • 1941 Lincoln Custom limousine interior showing the occasional seats

    1941 Lincoln Custom limousine interior showing the occasional seats

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SAE International

SAE International

SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE International's world headquarters is in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Principal emphasis is placed on global transport industries such as aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicles. The organization adopted the name SAE International to reflect the broader emphasis on mobility.

Landaulet (car)

Landaulet (car)

A landaulet, also known as a landaulette, is a car body style where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from the rear passengers by a division, as with a limousine.

Berlin (carriage)

Berlin (carriage)

A Berlin carriage was a type of covered four-wheeled travelling carriage with two interior seats. Initially noted for using two chassis rails and having the body suspended from the rails by leather straps, the term continued in use for enclosed formal carriages with two seats after the suspension system changed from leather straps to steel springs.

Brougham (car body)

Brougham (car body)

A brougham was originally a car body style where the driver sat outside and passengers seated within an enclosed cabin, as per the earlier brougham horse-drawn carriage. Similar in style to the later town car, the brougham style was used on chauffeur-driven petrol and electric cars.

Lincoln Custom

Lincoln Custom

The Lincoln Custom is a custom limousine and long-wheelbase touring sedan that was built by Lincoln in 1941 and 1942 and the lower level series Lincoln produced in 1955. Initially it was a replacement for the previous Model K Lincolns and earlier luxury cars of the 1920s and 1930s. The body work for the Custom was provided by the factory and came in one appearance and abandoned the previous Model L and Model K of years past of manufacturing only the chassis then a long list of coachbuilders would provide coachwork to the customer's preference. In later years it was simply the base model series.

Characteristics

The limousine body style usually has a partition separating the driver from the rear passenger compartment.[6][9]: 96  This partition includes a usually openable glass section so passengers may see the road. Communication with the driver is possible either by opening the window in the partition or by using an intercom system.

Limousines are often long-wheelbase vehicles, in order to provide extra legroom in the passenger compartment. There will usually be occasional seats (in the U.S. called jump seats) at the front of the compartment (either forward-facing, rear-facing or able to face either direction).

Many nations have official state cars designed to transport government officials. The top leaders have dedicated and specially equipped limousines. The United States Presidential State Car is the official car of the President of the United States.

Stretch limousines

Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine
Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine

Stretch limousines are longer than regular limousines, usually in order to accommodate more passengers. Stretch limousines may have seating along the sides of the cabin.

A "stretch limousine" was created in Fort Smith, Arkansas, around 1928 by a coach company named Armbruster. Armbruster's cars were primarily used to transport famous "big band" leaders, such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and their bands and equipment. These early stretch limousines were often called "big band buses". Armbruster called their lengthened cars "extended-wheelbase multi-door auto-coaches". Their 12-passenger people movers were used by hotels, taxis, airlines, corporations, and tour companies.[10] Knock-down programs by automakers made coachbuilders stretch vehicles, but Armbruster also custom built limousines using unibody construction such as the 1969 AMC Ambassadors.[11]

Novelty limousines

A variety of vehicles have been converted into novelty limousines.[12] They are used for weddings, parties, and other social occasions.[13] Another style of novelty limousine are those painted in bright colors, such as purple or pink.[14]

Vehicles converted into novelty stretch limousines include the East German Trabant, Volkswagen Beetle, Fiat Panda, and Citroën 2CV. There are instances of Corvettes, Ferraris, and Mini Coopers being stretched to accommodate up to 10 passengers.

  • Volkswagen Beetle limousine

    Volkswagen Beetle limousine

  • Lada limousine in Cuba

    Lada limousine in Cuba

  • Trabant limousine

    Trabant limousine

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Jump seat

Jump seat

In aviation, a jump seat or jumpseat is an auxiliary seat for individuals—other than normal passengers—who are not operating the aircraft. In general, the term 'jump seat' can also refer to a seat in any type of vehicle which can fold up out of the way; vehicles include carriages, automobiles, vans, buses, fire tenders, and taxicabs. The term originated in the United States c. 1860 for a movable carriage seat.

Official state car

Official state car

An official state car is a vehicle used by a government to transport its head of state or head of government in an official capacity, which may also be used occasionally to transport other members of the government or visiting dignitaries from other countries. A few countries bring their own official state car for state visits to other countries, for instance, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany and Japan. It also may serve as an automotive symbol of the head of state and their country. An official state car must have adequate security, capability and stateliness for its duty. A limousine, F-segment, luxury car or executive car is usually selected.

Aurus Senat

Aurus Senat

The Aurus Senat is a luxury full-size sedan by Russian automaker Aurus Motors and developed by NAMI in Moscow, Russia. The armoured limousine is powered by a 4.4 litre V8 engine developed by NAMI, with a 6.6 litre V12 (634 kW) becoming available at a later date. It is the presidential state car of Russia. Development of the Senat started in 2013 with the car being put into production in 2021 at the Sollers JSC factory in Yelabuga.

President of the United States

President of the United States

The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

Lincoln Town Car

Lincoln Town Car

The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to 2011, with the nameplate previously serving as the flagship trim of the Lincoln Continental. Produced across three generations for 30 model years, the Town Car was marketed directly against luxury sedans from Cadillac and Chrysler.

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents that encompasses the Arkansas counties of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian, and the Oklahoma counties of Le Flore and Sequoyah.

Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller

Alton Glen Miller was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era. His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, was also popular and successful.

Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David Goodman was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".

Fiat Panda

Fiat Panda

The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation.

Citroën 2CV

Citroën 2CV

The Citroën 2CV is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive, economy family car, introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile, and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948–1990.

Lada

Lada

Lada, marketed as LADA) is a brand of cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, a Russian state-owned company. From January 2021 until May 2022, Lada was integrated with then sister brand Dacia into Renault's Lada-Dacia business unit.

Cuba

Cuba

Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the American state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the largest city and capital; other major cities include Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. The official area of the Republic of Cuba is 109,884 km2 (42,426 sq mi) but a total of 350,730 km2 (135,420 sq mi) including the exclusive economic zone. Cuba is the second-most populous country in the Caribbean after Haiti, with over 11 million inhabitants.

United States

Lincoln Navigator stretch limousine
Lincoln Navigator stretch limousine

The last production limousine, by Cadillac, with forward-facing jump seats, was in 1987 (with their Fleetwood Series 75 model), the last Packard in 1954, and the last Lincoln in 1939, though Lincoln has offered limousines through their dealers as special order vehicles at times. Several Lincoln Premier cars were also built, one being owned by Elvis Presley. Vehicles of this type in private use may contain expensive audio players, televisions, video players, and bars, often with refrigerators. The President of the United States has ridden in a variety of brands of limousine stretching back to 1899.[15]

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Lincoln Navigator

Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator is a full-size luxury SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company since the 1998 model year. Sold primarily in North America, the Navigator is the Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Expedition. It is the heaviest production Lincoln ever built, and is also the Lincoln with the greatest cargo capacity and the first non-limousine Lincoln to offer seating for more than six people.

Cadillac Series 70

Cadillac Series 70

The Cadillac Series 70 is a full-size V8-powered series of cars that were produced by Cadillac from the 1930s to the 1980s. It replaced the 1935 355E as the company's mainstream car just as the much less expensive Series 60 was introduced. The Series 72 and 67 were similar to the Series 75 but the 72 and 67 were produced on a slightly shorter and longer wheelbase respectively. The Series 72 was only produced in 1940 and the Series 67 was only produced in 1941 and 1942. For much of the postwar era, it was the top-of-the-line Cadillac, and was Cadillac's factory-built limousine offering.

Presidential state car (United States)

Presidential state car (United States)

The United States presidential state car is the official state car of the president of the United States.

United Kingdom

Division in a 1993 Bentley Turbo R
Division in a 1993 Bentley Turbo R
The division in a London cab, black occasional seats folded up to bulkhead
The division in a London cab, black occasional seats folded up to bulkhead

Due to the partition behind the driver, the Hackney carriages are a type of limousine, although not typically identified as such in Britain. The occasional seats, also referred to as taxi-tip-seats, usually carry advertising on the underside; the advertisements are visible to the passengers when the tip-seats are not in use.

Current limousine production

Examples of limousines currently produced by vehicle manufacturers include:

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Aurus Senat

Aurus Senat

The Aurus Senat is a luxury full-size sedan by Russian automaker Aurus Motors and developed by NAMI in Moscow, Russia. The armoured limousine is powered by a 4.4 litre V8 engine developed by NAMI, with a 6.6 litre V12 (634 kW) becoming available at a later date. It is the presidential state car of Russia. Development of the Senat started in 2013 with the car being put into production in 2021 at the Sollers JSC factory in Yelabuga.

Lincoln Navigator

Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator is a full-size luxury SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company since the 1998 model year. Sold primarily in North America, the Navigator is the Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Expedition. It is the heaviest production Lincoln ever built, and is also the Lincoln with the greatest cargo capacity and the first non-limousine Lincoln to offer seating for more than six people.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as Sonderklasse, is a series of full-sized luxury sedans, limousines and armored sedans produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz, a division of the German company Mercedes-Benz. The S-Class is the designation for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz models and was officially introduced in 1972 with the W116, and has remained in use ever since. The S-Class is the flagship vehicle for Mercedes-Benz.

Source: "Limousine", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 19th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limousine.

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Further Reading

Coupe

Chauffeur

Sedan (automobile)

Lincoln Town Car

Coupé de ville

Lincoln Continental

Chrysler Imperial

Sunroof

Checker Motors Corporation

Power window

Cadillac Sixty Special

Cadillac Series 70

Chrysler Executive

Car door

Lincoln MKT

Brougham (car body)

General Motors C platform (FWD)
See also
Look up limousine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limousines.
  1. ^ Garner, Bryan (July 28, 2009). Garner's Modern American Usage. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199874620. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Definition of limousine". merriam-webster.com. October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "Definition of Stretch Limo". merriam-webster.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Dyke, Andrew Lee (1920). Dyke's Automobile and Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia (Twelfth ed.). p. 582. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Ayto, John (2009). Word Origins. A&C Black Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4081-0160-5. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  6. ^ a b The Random House College Dictionary. Random House. 1975. p. 777. ISBN 0-394-43600-8. 1. an automobile having a permanently enclosed compartment for from three to five persons, the roof of which projects forward over the driver's seat in front...[limousine long cloak, so called because worn by the shepherds of Limousin, a former province in central France]
  7. ^ "Definition of limousine" (Complete & Unabridged Digital ed.). Collins English Dictionary. 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "What's What in Automobile Bodies Officially Determined". The New York Times. August 20, 1916. Retrieved June 27, 2015. Here it is, with other body types and distinctions, officially determined recently by the Nomenclature Division of the Society of Automobile Engineers
  9. ^ a b c Haajanen, Lennart W. (2003). Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1276-3. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Theobald, Mark; DeWinter IV, Bernie (2004). "Armbruster & Company, Tom Armbruster, Ed Robben, Armbruster/Stageway, Fort Smith, Airport Limousine, Earnhart & Johansen - CoachBuilt.com". coachbuilt.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. ^ Strohl, Daniel (23 September 2018). "1969 AMC Ambassador Limousine". Hemmings. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Dave's Classic Limousines Pictures: Novelty Limousines". Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  13. ^ Pedersen, Stephanie (2004). KISS guide to planning a wedding. DK Publishers. pp. 195–196. ISBN 978-0-7894-9695-9.
  14. ^ Naylor, Sharon (2004). 1000 Best Wedding Bargains. Sourcebooks. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-4022-0298-8. Retrieved June 27, 2015. novelty limousines.
  15. ^ Huffman, John Pearley (January 19, 2009). "The Secret Seven: The Top Presidential Limousines of All Time". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved June 27, 2015.


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