Limousines Throughout History:
Limousines first started becoming a symbol of class and luxury sometime around the 1920s. Of course the idea behind such a luxury vehicle existed as far back as the 1700s, when the wealthiest of nobles would traverse in the luxurious chauffeured carriages, driven only by the finest animals.
The first ever stretch limos were built sometime around 1928 to transport famous orchestra composers and maestros along with their bands and instruments. They first came to be known as “Big band buses” during the period.
A few years later, the demand for more spacious vehicles grew and the six-door limousine came into being; primarily as a funeral car built on a Cadillac Chassis.
These spacious vehicles soon grew popular among celebrities and upper-class folks and even traveling presidents.
Among early models were two differentiating types of limousines: The Berlin and the Broughan; the former being a limo with an enclosed drivers seat and the latter having it open without any roof over the driver’s section.
Their popularity grew after the 1930s when they became the preferred method to transport people from airports to high-class hotels. The elites of the time soon got a taste of the luxury the rides offered compared to other motor vehicles of the time and soon it became a status symbol for the rich and the famous; as well as a staple ride for sightseeing tours and corporate transports.
The modern limousine is able to hold many times the number of passengers as their early counterparts and are popular choices for weddings, proms, sightseeing tours and going to classy parties and events. The tech has come a long way as well, with the cars now also sporting display screens, video playback, surround sound, internet connectivity and many other luxuries that the limo riders of the 1930s would never have imagined possible in any motor vehicle. How the times change!
