Limousine

A limo is a very big car.

A driver sits in the front. A wall stays between you and the driver. This wall can have a small window. You can talk to the driver through it.

Some limos are extra long. These are called stretch limos. They have lots of room for your legs.

You can even sit on the sides of the car.

Long ago, some limos had no roof over the driver. This kept the driver in the wind. Now, most limos are for fancy trips. They are very special cars.

A limousine is a large, fancy car. People often call it a limo. It is driven by a professional driver. A wall called a partition stays between the driver and the passengers. This wall can have a glass window. You can move the window by hand. You can also use a button to move it. Some walls have an intercom to talk to the driver.

Many limos have a long wheelbase. This means the distance between the wheels is very long. This gives passengers extra room for their legs. Some limos have extra seats called jump seats. These seats can face forward or backward.

Some limos are extra long. We call these stretch limos. A company in Arkansas made the first ones around 1928. They were used to carry big band leaders and their gear. These cars were once called big band buses. Today, people also make novelty limos. These are cars made to look fun. Some are painted bright colors like pink or purple. You can even find stretched versions of small cars like the Mini Cooper.

A limousine is a large and fancy vehicle. People often call it a limo for short. These cars are driven by a professional driver called a chauffeur. A special wall called a partition sits between the driver and the passengers. This wall can have a glass window that people can open. You might move the window by hand or use a button. Some cars even have an intercom to talk to the driver.

Many limousines have a long wheelbase. This means the distance between the front and back wheels is very long. This extra length gives passengers more room for their legs. Some limos also have extra seats called jump seats. These seats can face forward or backward. In some places, like the United States, a limousine service can be any hired car with a driver. This might even be a minivan used for airport shuttles.

People have used special cars like this for a long time. In 1916, the US Society of Automobile Engineers defined a limousine. Back then, it was a car with three to five seats inside. The driver sat outside in the open air. Some early versions had no roof over the driver at all. In 1899, President William McKinley became the first U.S. president to ride in a car. He rode in a steam Locomobile.

Some limousines are even longer than regular ones. These are called stretch limousines. A company called Armbruster made the first ones around 1928 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They were used to carry famous big band leaders like Glenn Miller. These long cars were once called big band buses. Today, companies like Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts make custom limos. They can take a few weeks to build a new one.

Sometimes, people turn regular cars into novelty limousines. These are often painted in bright colors like pink or purple. You can find stretched versions of small cars like the Mini Cooper. Some people even stretch fast cars like Ferraris or Corvettes. These fun cars can hold up to 10 passengers. It is a very different way to travel than a normal car.

A limousine, often called a "limo," is a large luxury vehicle. It is designed to be driven by a professional driver known as a chauffeur. One of the most important features of a limousine is the partition. This is a divider that separates the driver's compartment from the passenger compartment. The partition often includes a glass section that can be opened. Passengers can move this window by hand or use an electronic button. They can also talk to the driver using an intercom system.

Many limousines use a long wheelbase to improve the ride. A wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels of a vehicle. A longer wheelbase provides extra legroom for the people inside. Some limousines also include jump seats in the front of the passenger area. These extra seats can face forward, face backward, or even face either direction. In some countries, the term "limousine service" has a broader meaning. In the United States or the United Kingdom, it might refer to any pre-booked car with a driver. This could even include minivans used for airport shuttle services.

The history of the limousine is tied to how wealthy people traveled. In the past, owners of expensive carriages sat in private compartments. Their drivers, called coachmen, stayed outside in all weather conditions. When cars were invented, people wanted to keep this same arrangement. In 1916, the US Society of Automobile Engineers defined a limousine as a closed car. This car seated three to five people inside while the driver sat outside. There were different styles during this era. The berline had a driver's seat that was entirely enclosed. The brougham was a version where the driver had no roof at all.

Different regions developed their own specific types of luxury vehicles. In Great Britain, the limousine de-ville was a type of town car. In this model, the driver's compartment was outside and had no protection from the weather. There was also a variant called the limousine-landaulet. This version featured a folding or removable roof section over the rear seats. These variations allowed for different levels of privacy and exposure to the air. These early designs set the stage for the modern luxury vehicles we see today.

One of the most famous types of limousines is the stretch limousine. These vehicles are even longer than standard limousines to hold more people. The first stretch limousine was created around 1928 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The Armbruster coach company built these vehicles for famous "big band" leaders. Musicians like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman used them to carry their members and equipment. These vehicles were sometimes called "big band buses." Armbruster called their long cars "extended-wheelbase multi-door auto-coaches." They could hold up to 12 passengers at a time.

Today, the limousine industry has changed significantly. In the United States, stretch limousines now make up only one percent of limousine company offerings. This is a large drop from 2013, when they made up about ten percent. Several factors caused this decline. The Great Recession and the rise of ride-sharing apps changed how people travel. Some people also began choosing black SUVs to travel more discreetly. Additionally, the industry faced a crisis following deadly crashes in 2015 and 2018 in Schoharie, New York.

Modern manufacturers still follow the tradition of custom coachbuilding. Companies like Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts specialize in converting vehicles like the Lincoln or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Another company, Big Limos MFG in California, focuses on ultra-luxury conversions. They work with brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley. These custom builds are complex and can take between 8 and 24 weeks to complete. Some people even create novelty limousines. These can be painted bright colors like pink or purple. People have even stretched small cars like the Mini Cooper or fast cars like Ferraris to hold up to 10 passengers.