Limousines Conversion

The interior of a stretch limo, complete with bar and entertainment center.

Photo Marc Dorset, SXC

A company called Armbruster built the first stretch limousine in 1928. They built the coach -- otherwise known as the compartment where the passengers sit -- specifically to transport larger groups of affluent people. Armbruster and other companies built these cars from the ground up rather than convert an existing vehicle; the cars were always meant to be longer cars that could hold more passengers than your average automobile.
Eventually, Armbruster merged with a company called Stageway Coaches and stopped building its own cars. The new company began to convert Cadillac and Lincoln cars into stretch limousines, mainly for funeral processions. As stretch limousines became more popular, other companies began to enter the market, converting everything from classic luxury vehicles to high-end sports cars and SUVs.

Rolls-Royce cars like this one were often used as limousines.

Some companies use more sophisticated tools than others, but the actual series of steps remains pretty much the same among companies. First, they strip the interior out of the car and protect everything remaining with fire-resistant paper -- including any glass. Next, mechanics mount the car on a set of rails. You can adjust the rails to elevate the car off the ground. The rails help keep the front and back of the car aligned properly. Usually one side of the rails rests on a rolling dolly.
Mechanics then cut the car in half -- the most crucial part of any conversion. Some mechanics use laser-guided machinery to make precise cuts while others rely on the skilled hand of an experienced mechanic. The back half of the car mounted on the rails' dolly section is pulled back.
Next, mechanics weld a base to the front and back half of the car, extending it to its ultimate length. They weld in temporary braces to keep the frame from twisting or warping -- any errors in this step could cause the vehicle to become unsafe or even impossible to drive. Mechanics extend the drive line from the engine back to the rear axle by connecting multiple drive lines together. They extend the electrical components using connectors between the original wiring and the new wiring that will extend the length of the car.
Once the mechanics put the base in place and extended the driveline -- the parts of the power train -- pillar posts are installed where new doors will attach to the body of the limousine. The floor pan (the floor of the limousine) is installed, covering up the driveline and framework. Mechanics must also reinforce the brakes, suspension and steering mechanisms for the car -- adding more mass to the car means that it becomes more difficult to control and stop due to inertia.
Next, a prefabricated exterior is installed over the limo's frame and the vehicle is outfitted with a new interior, including any lavish amenities. Finally, the limo goes into the paint shop, where painters give it a uniform, brand new paint job.

Limousine Manufacturers

While the limo isn't a specific model of car, several car companies created vehicles that are well-suited for limousine service. Early luxury cars included vehicles from LeBaron, Fleetwood, Willoughby, Derham and Fisher. Early Cadillacs also saw use as limousines. You could hire out practically any luxury automobile with a driver and call it a limousine.
Bentley built 20 specialized Arnage limousines, making them one of the most rare limo models in the world. Bentley allowed those who purchased one of the limousines practically limitless options to customize their car. Their choices ranged from the color of the interior and exterior to custom-made drinks cabinets and their choice of electronic gadgetry. Bentley is more of an exception to the rule, though -- most car companies don't even come close to offering that kind of customization.

Conversion shops can turn exotic cars like Humvees into stretch limousines.

Photo SXC

The Lincoln Town Car is still a very popular choice for luxury car limos. These cars are famous for having a roomy interior and a smooth ride, and so are often used by limousine services. Conversion companies frequently choose the Lincoln Town Car when building stretch limousines.
Many limousine companies also offer services using a Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz. These manufacturers have built a reputation on comfort and style. For many years, Cadillac was the only domestic car company producing limousines -- events during the Great Depression and World War II severely impacted the limousine industry, and Cadillac was the only domestic company able to survive in that market.
Many limousine services also use classic automobiles. You can find limo companies offering customers a chance to ride in a luxurious Rolls-Royce in almost every major city. Rolls-Royce built cars with elegant and mysterious names like the Silver Cloud, the Phantom and the Wraith. Some of these models even left the driver's compartment uncovered, harkening back to the days of horse-drawn coaches.
Most people think of amazing stretch limousines with lavish interiors when they talk about limos. Enterprising limousine companies have capitalized on that image by converting everything from Lincoln Navigator SUVs to MINI Coopers to Lamborghinis in an effort to entice customers and please fickle celebrities. Some go to even further extremes and use vehicles never meant for the street.

How Limousines Work

When thinking about the various trappings of wealth, you probably imagine huge mansions, enormous swimming pools, fancy clothes and, of course, beautiful limousines stocked with expensive alcohol and state-of-the-art electronic gadgets. While limousines were once a luxury enjoyed mainly by the extremely rich, today they're a staple of airport transportation and a favored way to arrive at formals, dances and weddings.What exactly is a limousine? For many people, the word "limousine" conjures up the image of an incredibly long car with lots of dark-tinted windows. Actually, a limousine can be as simple as a nice Lincoln Town Car. There's no standard limousine make or model -- instead, the word refers to a vehicle that has a larger compartment in the back half of the car than your average automobile. To call a car a limousine, you really just need a nice car that has a lot of leg room in the rear compartment. It also helps if you have a driver, or chauffeur, driving the car for you while you relax in the back.
The word "limousine" comes from a town in France called Limousin. The original limousine wasn't a vehicle at all -- it was a piece of clothing. Shepherds in Limousin created a raincoat with a hood to protect them from the elements. They called this hooded cloak a limousine. Eventually, coach-builders in Paris began to call covered coaches limousines (some speculate the first coach-builder to do so was from Limousin). Wealthy passengers could sit under cover while a driver handled the horses.

Stretch limousines like this one are popular choices for people going to formals, dances and weddings.

Photo Leo Cinezi, SXC

As the horseless carriage became popular, the term was applied to automobiles driven by a hired man to transport passengers, who sat comfortably in the back. Limousine services sprang up in places like New York City, where entrepreneurs foresaw a market for visitors who wanted to travel in luxury. As early as the 1920s, businessmen began to create limousine companies, some of which still exist today
In this article, we'll look at some of the popular vehicles used as limousines straight off the factory line. We'll also look at how independent companies convert standard vehicles into stretch limousines. We'll sample some of the amenities you can find in most limousines, as well as a few more exotic options. Finally, we'll look at some facts and figures regarding limousines and chauffers.

Inside the Mercedes SLR

Many supercars skimp on creature comforts, and some of them don't even have interior carpeting. But Mercedes wanted the SLR to be something of a hybrid -- a powerful, fast car that's also comfortable for driving around town. So power seats, power windows, and power locks are included. Air-conditioning and a top-shelf seven-speaker Bose sound system add to the luxury, and there's also a navigation system.

The carbon fiber bucket seats are covered in "Silver Arrow" red leather. Six air bags protect driver and passenger alike from impacts in eight directions. Switches controlling the air brake and transmission are mounted on a console in the middle of the dashboard, while shifting thumb switches are located on the steering wheel. The car is started with a flip-top covered button on the shift lever.

The SLR sports a multifunction steering wheel with F1-style manual gearshift buttons.

Jay Leno (car collector and proud owner of an SLR) summed up the combination of performance and comfort features in a recent 4Car column: "One minute you can be tearing through the hills, hooligan stuff. The next minute you can take the wife in it, you can park it. I think the Mercedes-McLaren is the perfect compromise between road car and racer" [ref].

On the other hand, car purists might feel that the SLR's comfort diminishes speed and handling. After all, why build a 600-horsepower car and then weigh it down with power seats? Or, as Leno put it, "I have yet to play a CD in it; the SLR's entertaining enough without distractions" [ref].
Mercedes has set a retail price of $452,750 for the SLR, not including taxes. But even if you have the money, rarity could be an obstacle -- only 3,500 SLRs will be produced over the next seven years.

Control, Style and Function Of Mercedes SLR

 

The fiber-reinforced ceramic brake discs.
 The SLR has independent control arms of unequal length, with coil springs on all four wheels and an anti-roll bar in the front. A rack-and-pinion steering system controls the specially designed Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires (Front: 245/35ZR-19 96Y; Rear: 295/30ZR-19 100Y), which are mounted to 19-inch cast aluminum asymmetric turbine wheels. Special ceramic disc brakes, manufactured for heat resistance and strength, provide up to 1.3 Gs of stopping power.
All of these features help to give the SLR a 40-foot turning radius and 161-foot braking distance from 70 mph. The rear spoiler acts as an automatic air brake, raising up to a 65 degree angle to provide additional downforce and stability. It drops back down for flat-out high-speed runs.

Just like a Formula One racing car, the bodywork of the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is made of carbon fiber.

Just like a Formula One racing car, the bodywork of the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is made of carbon fiber.

Photo courtesy Daimler Chrysler Photo courtesy Daimler Chrysler

The SLR looks different from most supercars. Most have the engine mounted behind the driver, and aerodynamic considerations force the car's shape into a low, sleek profile. Mercedes and McLaren engineers decided to go with a front-mounted engine, which helps give the car its distinctive shape. The engine is mounted as far back in the compartment as possible, sitting behind the front axle. The gives the SLR nearly 50/50 front to rear weight distribution, a major factor in the car's overall handling. It also means that the engine compartment looks a bit strange. The engine itself peeks out from beneath the windshield, only about half of it extending out into the engine compartment itself. A giant air intake nozzle fills up most of the area beneath the hood. The resulting shape is a car with a long snout, a compact driver compartment, and a rounded-off rear.
The frame is also highly advanced, with a monocoque carbon-fiber tub making up the main chassis and sub-frames in the front and rear. The rear sub-frame is made from aluminum. Tubes and pockets made of carbon fiber within the frame are based on safety designs from McLaren's F1 efforts, and absorb four times as much energy as steel in an impact.
Styling on the SLR is further defined by large air vents in the body just behind the front tires, and sidepipe exhaust headers below. It retains the familiar Mercedes look, with a large badge and twin-lamp elliptical bi-xenon headlights. The body panels are made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
Up next, take a seat in an SLR.

Juan Manuel Fangio took the race win in a 300 SLR at the 1955 Swedish Grand Prix.

How the Mercedes SLR Works

Just how much car does half a million dollars buy you? In the case of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, quite a lot. The SLR unites the Formula One-proven technology of McLaren with Mercedes engineering, listing a carbon fiber chassis and a 600-plus horsepower engine among its features.
Most ultra-fast supercars have sacrificed comfort for performance, but the SLR tries to give drivers the best of both worlds. In this article, we'll see how McLaren and Mercedes have managed to create a world-class high-performance car with windshield wipers that still work at 200 mph.

Power

The SLR's eight-cylinder engine

Here's a summary of what's under the hood (click on the terms for more information). Like most supercars, the SLR is built around an extremely powerful engine. The 332 cubic inch (5.5 L) V8 engine was hand-built by AMG, a company that usually modifies Mercedes-Benz street cars into full-fledged race cars.

Both the block and the heads are aluminum, with single overhead cams and an 8.8:1 compression ratio. A twin-screw Lysholm supercharger with two intercoolers cranks the horsepower up several notches. A dry sump system allows the engine to be mounted lower, dropping the car's center of gravity. This placement allows for 617 horsepower at 6500 RPM. The torque is just as impressive with 575 foot-pounds at 3250 RPM.

Power transfer is handled by a five-speed "manumatic" transmission -- the driver can shift electronically at the push of a button. Mercedes' Electronic Stability Program (ESP) helps drivers handle all that power by constantly monitoring traction, adjusting torque, and selectively applying the brakes to prevent the car from spinning out of control. The ESP system has both a full setting and a setting that puts more control into the hands of the driver, but it can't be turned off completely. Mercedes feels that more than 600 horsepower is a bit much for even experienced drivers to handle, an opinion backed by test drivers at Car and Driver magazine.
McLaren reports that the SLR can go from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 207.5 mph. Car and Driver reports an even faster zero to 60 time of 3.6 seconds [ref].
Next, we'll see how this dream car handles.

City Driving

Planning on driving in the city soon? Here are a few things you need to consider before you venture into a big city by car


Parking – It is expensive to park in big cities like L.A  If you are lucky you might find street parking. Never pay to park your car in a garage structure until you scope out the area for free parking. If you look close enough you might be able to find some. Meters are another option but they are only good for 2 hours before you need to add in more quarters.
Traffic- Traffic is atrocious no matter what time of day it is you’ll probably end up in a traffic jam. Checking Sigalert before you leave may help a little. So can a GPS that provides traffic info.
Potholes – The roads in big cities like L.A are inundated with potholes and cracks. Be lucky if your tires don’t suffer damage as a result of driving over these roads. South Coast Toyota dealer Orange County Toyota offers great deals in The O.C
Rude drivers – This isn’t Kansas anymore. People here are in a hurry and got places to go. Drivers tend to be more aggressive in general and they will get mad if you are driving slower than the flow of traffic. Expect to be tailgated and perhaps even flipped off. Car Repairs San Francisco offers service and repairs in the Bay Area.
More pedestrians – It’s not like the suburbs where everyone drives. Cities tends to have lots of people walking around. Watch out for them! Many folks will jaywalk or cross the road when the light is red.
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