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Generally, limos are seen as a symbol of wealth and luxury. We associate them either with rich persons, either with a very special event, such as a wedding or a prom night.
But have you ever wondered how limos appeared? The classic definition of a limousine is that of a stretched car driven by a chauffeur, symbol of wealth and style. The name actually has its origins in the French region Limousin; the people from that region used to wear a kind of hood that reminded of the profile of a car. In their early days, limos looked like an usual car, with two seats facing the driver's seat, but with a whole lot more room for the legs. Then, two more seats were added, facing the other two. This way, the passengers could have a nice talk, face to face, in the back of the car; generally, those two more seats could be folded up if one so wished to. After some time, a sliding glass window was added, in such a way that the drivers couldn't hear what the persons sitting in the back of the limos were talking about. This offered more privacy to the persons traveling by limos- either business or just private conversation.
In their early days, limos looked like a stagecoach that was drawn by a horse. Even if you might be tempted to smile at this idea, remember that this kind of transportation was pretty fancy for its time; those grand parents of present limousines looked something like a bus combined with a sedan, and were used for the same purpose as they are today, that of passenger's transportation. Another means of transportation that had an influence on the design of limos (on an early stage) was the station wagon. What did it bring as a new feature? Actually, designers have taken the idea of a roof rack from the station wagons and used it when they created a new type of limousine. These particular limos were generally used in parks, as a means of transportation for the visitors from the train to the actual location of the park.
As the time passed and the technology has evolved, different car constructing companies and their designers have seen the possibility of developing the ancient limos into luxury cars. This is how the history of the limousine as we know it today has begun: its constructors meant it as a classy, luxuriant car. Of course, the price of such a car is comparable; not everyone can afford to buy a limousine. Still, for those who whish to have such a car even if it is for one night, there are a lot of car services that will offer you a limousine to rent (driver included) for as long as you wish to.
Different models of limos are available these days, depending on the car constructor that designed it. For example, Hummers have a stretched limo version that is, basically speaking, the new fashion version of that early stagecoach model we have talked about earlier in the article. As a limousine is a symbol of class and style, the U. S. President couldn't have been left without one: Cadillac has built a special version for the first man in the State- he rides in a DeVille touring sedan.
Of course, people who want to ride in style choose to rent a limousine, particularly if it is a very special occasion. There are companies that are able offer you a city tour in a limo, so that you can enjoy the beauty of the city while taking advantge of the class and commodity of the most luxuriant car model there is.
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