Call Me A Limo
Russell Bray looks in to the weird and wonderful world of limousines
Mention limousines to most people and they think of girls' and boys' nights out in stretched cars with blacked out windows and a bar inside. Unless you are in Las Vegas that is, when you can usually add an eight-person hot tub at the back and maybe a small stage for a singing duo as well.
Ironically, the first limousines are credited to the French in a far gentler age early in the history of the motor car. In the early 1900s cars could only be afforded by the rich and they rode inside while the chauffeur sat in an open topped section in front.
It is thought because of the cloaks worn by chauffeurs in the Limousin region of central France to keep dry that the name limousine was coined. At least that's what the chap from Peugeot told me a few years ago when the company unveiled its striking 908 RC limousine show car. Like so many show cars, it never made it into production and limousines remain relatively rare.
How do they do that?
When stretch limos were in their infancy, would-be stretchers used to literally cut a car approximately in half, at least behind the front seats, and then weld in steel girders and crossmembers to the desired length and width. Things are now more sophisticated but it's basically the same process.
Most of the cars, from elegant Mercedes- Benz S-Class models to big Volvos, are rearwheel drive so you also have to lengthen the propshaft which takes the power from the front engine to the rear wheels. Floor material and extra bodywork and doors are often a mix of wood, aluminium and lightweight glassreinforced plastic, almost as if you are building a Morgan. Standard manufacturer parts rarely fit and so have to be specially made which isn't a cheap or easy operation.
Today, some more expensive conversions have used some ultra light-weight (and ultra expensive) carbon fibre to make up for the heavy extra glass windows needed and the electrical equipment for the karaoke machine and bar. Obviously this framework is the key to the strength and safety of the limousine.
Interiors are down mainly to the imagination of the buyer and the builder. Multiple sunroofs are popular but need planning in advance due to the structural issues they create. They can however make the vehicle stronger because of the cassette bracing around the roof itself. Long bench seats for a better look outside and one-way windows are high up the list too, together with tiny electrical lights in the roof for that nightclub look. Plumbing for coffee and tea making facilities are not unknown either.
Serious craftsman skills are needed here and the days of enthusiastic amateurs have gone.
Where can I get one?
Today there are well established companies like Woodall Nicholson, one of the oldest coachbuilding companies in the UK and well known under several trading names including Coleman Milne. The firm is probably best known by the public for its Ford Dorchester limousines and various Mercedes conversions, but also make armed response cars, riot control vehicles and prisoner transfer vehicles for the police. I don't think I'd fancy a night on the town in one of those or afterwards in one of those.
Fancy a fast Jaguar XJ limo or a Vauxhall Insignia? Then Wilcox Limousines would be pleased to oblige. Special technical problems had to be overcome using aircraft industry technology because of the Jaguar XJ's construction in lightweight aluminium. The company also converts Volvos and, like so many limousine companies, build hearses for that final journey.
Binz UK, which used to be known for its stretched Volvos, now markets cars converted in Germany like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and meet all the European type approval regulations.
This model includes adding a centre bench seat and electric windows for all six doors and is built such a high standard that the cars are approved for service and repair through any Mercedes dealer.
Binz says the car has passed safety impact safety tests to European safety standards and even retains the car's tyre pressure loss warning system. There are seat belts for all the eight seats in the E220 model which is more than can be said for a stretch Chrysler 300C that once took me and some friends to Los Angeles airport.
The rear suspension was so rigid that over bumps and potholes your head hit the roof. I liked the Lamborghini style scissor doors to get into the driver's section though.
Devon based Antique and Hollywood Limousines does what it says on the tin. The company started in 1979 with 1930s gangster cars and came to the UK in the 1990s. The huge Big Tex limousine is a ten-seater with an 8ft bar, neon lights, televisions, mirrored ceiling and DVD surround sound.
Some people see limousines as aberrations and I confess I'm not a fan of the looks of the two that Bentley built for the Queen in 2002 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee. Unusually among limousines it wasn't only three feet longer it was also ten inches taller, and six inches wider.
It's an amazing vehicle in other ways though, running with a mine resistant floor and bulletproof Kevlar tyres. The glass is also bulletproof and the cabin can be sealed against a gas attack.
You'd have a good chance of getting home in one of those after a late night out. The rear suspension was so rigid that over bumps and potholes your head hit the roof.
You'd have a good chance of getting home in one of those after a late night out.
