| The Outrages!
(Courtesy Star Limo, Chicago, IL)
It is overwhelming the first time you see it.
It has four televisions, four moonroofs,
three cellular phones, hot tub, two fax machines, a microwave oven, and an air
conditioning compressor larger than that of most family homes (should the A/C not be
enough, there are three ceiling fans). It weighs over 14,000 pounds. Its furnishings
include Waterford crystal and imported china. It was pulled off the road by
the California Highway Patrol who took out a tape measure to see if it
exceeded the state limit of 65 feet for road vehicles.
It is in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street legal vehicle
in the world. It is a 1997, 36-passenger, 66-1/2 foot long white Lincoln limousine
built by Ultra Coachbuilders. The monster limousine cost $1.8 million and was
built for Sheik Hamad Bin Hamdan Al-Nahayan of the United Arab Emirates for
use when he visited the States. The limousine is in two pieces with a hitch
in the middle to bend around corners. The rear compartment behind the
hitch was built to be detachable, so that when the Sheik was
not entertaining he could enjoy a normal 30-foot limousine.
Vini Bergeman, founder of Ultra
Coachbuilders, has over twenty-five
years experience in the building of exotic limousines. He says,
"Most of the strangest limousines ever built come from me. I was the first
builder to
go over 48 inches. I was the first guy to put a Jacuzzi in a stretch, and I certainly was
the firstto put a putting green on the back of a stretch limousine. I'm the owner of a toy
store. I turn the wildest dreams of big kids into real vehicles. If a client can dream
something, then I can turn that dream into reality."
Early Exotic
Modern Exotic
(Courstesy Ultra Coachbuilders)
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