| The Cultured Limousine
Rubber Necking: what is it about the limousine?
(Photo by Michael L. Bromley)
What is it about a limousine? Is it the
tinted windows? The exaggerated and
superfluous length? Or is it the cost, the luxury, the show? To ride in a limousine
is to flaunt it. There is nothing discrete about a limousine, which is why those who
look for anonymity might prefer a cab. Well, that's fine, but we wish those of such
humble nature a pleasant and comfortable trip; don't forget to open the door for
yourself, and remember that the controls for the divider are
on the driver's side, not yours.
Who but the most jaded of New Yorkers can't
help but look? And even in New York the
appearance of a stretch Lincoln Navigator halted traffic on Fifth Avenue. Ok, it's a big
car. So what? And so what if a bunch of bachelor-party drunks tumble out? Then we
can look smugly away. Or was that... who was that? Better do the double-take, just
to
make sure it wasn't someone famous. Famous people ride in limousines, you know.
The authors have run across countless
collectors, enthusiasts, builders, operators, and
drivers who share the same story: as a child, they saw a limousine, and "one
day,"
was the chorus. Be they enthusiasts for Classic Era Packard limousines or the
modern stretch, the cause of their infatuation and life's ambition is the same:
The limousine caught their youthful, dreaming eye.
What is it about the limousine?
The power of a cultural icon... can it get the kids to the dentist?
(Courtesy Doc Bresler, "The Cavity Buster")
Party Car...?
(Photo by Michael L. Bromley)
...or MiLady's ride?
(Courtesy Library of Congress)
Same as it ever was.
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