Having the opportunity to hitch a ride home in a limousine can make you feel like a million bucks. While it's easy to appreciate the luxury and prestige that modern limousines provide, taking the opportunity to learn more about the history of these vehicles will make you appreciate your next limo ride even more. Here are three interesting facts you probably didn't know about limos.
1. If you wanted a cool drive in the 1940s, your best option was a limo.
Today's passengers take air conditioning for granted, but air conditioning units have only been on the market since the 1940s. Considered the epitome in luxury, forerunners of the modern limousine were the first to incorporate air conditioning systems into their design.
At an additional cost of $274, the air conditioning option was quite pricey when it was first released. But, in an effort to give passengers a unique driving experience, limousines featured air conditioning units nearly 20 years before the option was available for mass production in sedan cars.
2. Being a chauffeur has never been easy.
While modern day chauffeurs often deal with rowdy individuals, the workload of their historic predecessors overshadows the wrangling of a few party-happy passengers. The term "chauffeur" is derived from the French word for "stoker," and pays tribute to early drivers who had to stoke the steam-powered engines that allowed their vehicles to run.
Because steam engines were so costly, only the rich could afford to hire a chauffeur. This established the link between the presence of a private driver and social status. The fact that limos are still associated with wealth and prestige proves that the legacy of those early chauffeurs lives on.
3. Some limos are celebrities in their own right.
Some limousines, like the one that transports the President of the United States, are celebrities in their own right. Commonly referred to as "The Beast," the President's limousine is iconic. Despite the fact that The Beast isn't all that powerful (taking a whopping 15 seconds to go from zero to 60 miles per hour), this iconic limousine does get its own airplane whenever the President travels.
Taking the time to learn more about the history of limousines will help you better appreciate these cars in the future. The next time you have the opportunity to take a chauffeured ride in a limo, you will be able to recognize the impact these vehicles have had on society today.
Share5 March 2015
Hi there, I am Taylor Eilson. I hope that you will visit my site all of the time to talk about airport transportation. When I first started my career, I was so scared of traveling from place to place for business meetings. The process of storing my car, making it to my flight on time and moving around town without a personal vehicle felt daunting at first. Luckily, with my first experience taking a cab to the airport, all of those feelings changed. From that point on, I vowed to try out all of the airport transportation options available to find my favorite ones. I hope that I can help others find their favorite way to travel to and from the airport in style. Please come by anytime to learn more.